He Can Hold Her Hand
by xxxjoxxx
Summary: A continuation of the final scene of the Season 5 finale. Liza and Charles are facing a new, uncertain future, but they'll face and overcome every challenge - together.
1. He Can Hold Her Hand In The Street

AN: it seems I can't keep away from writing about these two! So I've loved Season 5, and I thought the finale was great! I know the last couple of seconds have caused some anxiety, but I don't think it was a negative reaction - more of a realisation about the magnitude of change that's just happened and nervous anticipation about the future. But their holding hands is symbolic that they're together and that they're going into this new reality - together.

Anyway, so this is a continuation of that scene and hopefully a bit of stress relief for those still worried - hope you like it :) I really do love reading your comments so please drop me a review and let me know what you think!

#TeamCharles

Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Younger, it's characters or any canon text.

* * *

CHARLES

 _"And maybe he can hold her hand at the office. And in the street. Everywhere. The way that he has wanted to do for as long as he can remember."_

"Liza, I have everything that I want. I'm happy." And he was - as they kissed and she took his hand and they strolled together through Bryant Park, he felt a sense of completeness that they were FINALLY on the same page, and that they could FINALLY be together out in the open with no more secrets.

But now that those obstacles were out of the way, and the adrenaline had died down, the magnitude of the day's events hit him like a sledgehammer. He was stepping down as publisher, Millennial was taking over Empirical and he was handing over the running of his grandfather's company to Kelsey and Liza. He would trust Liza with his life and he had no doubt she'd do him proud. He was so proud of everything she'd achieved so far, but he wouldn't be there day to day in the office. His work life as he'd known it for the past 15 years had just switched in an instant, and as much as he was happy and had everything that he wanted, a change that massive was scary and would take some getting used to.

Charles looked over at Liza and saw that she had the same nervous worry on her face as he was feeling. He squeezed her hand and smiled at her as she looked up at him. "I get to hold your hand in the street" He brought her hand up to his lips and placed a tender kiss on her knuckles. They stopped and he took her other hand in his as well, keeping her close to him.

She smiled at him but he could see concern in her eyes. "But you don't get to hold my hand in the office"

"I will" he assured her, "I'm not going to disappear - I'm still going to be involved in the company. And everyone will know about us - there's no more secrets, so whenever I am in the office, I can hold your hand as much as you'd like."

"I'm scared" she admitted, and he could hear the fear in her voice. "What if we do this and it doesn't work? You'll have given all of this up for nothing. I don't want you to resent me." She was worried about the pressure on them to make it work he realised - she thought that if they didn't work out now, that he'd end up hating her.

"It wouldn't be for nothing" he assured her, "my family company survives. Without Quinn's investment Empirical would have gone under and my life would have changed anyway. Maybe I wouldn't have had to step down from being the public face of Empirical if we hadn't become us, but I'm okay with that decision, and I'd rather have given this a try than have gone the rest of my life wondering what we could have been" He held her gaze and swallowed nervously as he continued, taking a leap because he needed her to understand how he felt. "...wandering if the woman I'm in love with is the one I'm meant to be with. I will never regret being with you Liza - and I could never resent you. Even if it doesn't work out between us, which I really, really hope it does, I would never change the time we've had together. This was my choice, and yes it's a lot to deal with - I'm scared, just like you. Everything is changing, but I'm also excited for what the future holds - for the company, and for us."

"You're in love with me?" Her jaw had dropped and her eyes were wide as she looked at him with awe and wonder.

He smiled warmly at her and cupped her cheek with his hand, stroking it gently with his thumb. How could she not have realised that already - he was sure it was written all over his face. "I'm in love with you - I have been for as long as I've wanted to hold your hand" he told her reverently. He'd wanted to say it ever since he'd visited her in the hospital when she'd held his hand and then fallen asleep after he tucked in her 'piggies'. "I know this is new, and I don't expect you to say it back right now. I only want you to say it when you're ready. I've waited for you for 2 years - I can wait. I just want you to know how much you mean to me."

"I'm in love with you too" Liza breathed softly.

His breath caught in his throat and all of the air left his lungs as she said the words he'd longed to hear for as long as he could remember. "You are?" he asked, needing confirmation that he hadn't dreamt it.

"I am" Liza sighed happily, and it seemed to be a weight lifted off her shoulders to say it. "I have been for a long time - it just took me a while to admit it to myself. And I was scared to admit it to you."

Charles laughed joyously , which elicited the most beautiful smile from Liza. Both of their eyes were misty with happy tears as he leaned his head down and brushed her lips with his, the world around them disappearing as they lost themselves in each other. It was tender and unhurried - sealing their declarations and acknowledging that they had all the time in the world now.

He smiled adoringly at her - the love of his life, and rested his forehead on hers, revelling in the knowledge that he could do this whenever he wanted to now. Liza smiled warmly and held her hand out to him. As he intertwined their fingers he held her gaze and saw no more doubt in her eyes, only hope.

As they resumed their journey, their smiles didn't falter. Both of their worlds had just changed dramatically and they would undoubtedly encounter challenges along the way, but they loved each other and they were in it together. They would support each other and face any challenges - together. They were a team, they were an 'us', and they were meant to be.


	2. In The Office

AN: Thank you so much for your amazing reviews – as always, they made me smile and made my day! The first chapter was originally intended to be a one-shot but Oc7ober convinced me to continue this…and it didn't take much persuasion as I don't seem to be able to stop writing about these two!

So this chapter is the morning after when Liza goes back to work. It includes a scene that a number of people have requested so I hope I've done it justice! As always, I love hearing your thoughts so please drop me a review and let me know what you think

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

LIZA

As Liza walked into Empirical, or Millennial now – she still hadn't gotten her head around that yet, the next morning, everything looked the same but it felt different. She was the first one there as she'd came in early having woke early with nervous anticipation. She was an executive editor now – 2nd in command running Charles's company. It was crazy how much literally everything in her life had changed so much in the last 24 hours.

When Charles had told her why he'd had to step down as the public face of Empirical, she'd felt so guilty. It was because of her, and people's unfair and incorrect perceptions of their relationship that he was no longer publisher. She'd felt terrible that he was having to give up so much for her, and she'd been scared that he'd end up resenting her for it. But in his perfectly eloquent, Charles Brooks way, that she'd always found so captivating, he'd assured her that he was happy and that he'd never resent her or regret being with her. He'd been so earnest when he implored her that even if they didn't work out, he'd rather have given them a try than gone the rest of his life wandering what they could have been. And then her heart had literally stopped in her chest when he told her he was in love with her. She'd known he had strong feelings for her, but she'd barely dared to hope that his feelings ran as deep as hers. Her heart had ached for him as he'd nervously told her he didn't expect her to say it back yet and that he only wanted her to say it when she was ready. She'd realised then that they'd both been just as scared of fully putting their feelings out there and risking getting hurt. What he didn't know though was that she was ready – aside from Caitlin she loved him more than anything in this world, and she couldn't let him think for another second that she didn't. It was cathartic to finally say the words "I'm in love with you too" to him after so long, and the look of pure joy and awe on his face at her words made her heart melt. They'd kissed and it was like they were sealing a promise of their future together, and when he'd took her hand and they'd carried on walking, any lingering doubt in their minds was erased, and replaced with the excited smiles that were mirrored on each other's faces.

They'd gone out for lunch together – a block from the office, in the daylight – because they could do that now. They weren't hiding anymore, there were no more secrets and they were free to be together, like they had both longed to do for so long. They could hold hands and she could kiss him in the street – which she did, multiple times as they made their way back to his house. The smiles hadn't left their faces and they'd been giggling like lovesick teenagers as they'd stumbled through his front door. It might have had something to do with the wine they'd consumed at lunch, but she knew it had more to do with the euphoria of the "I love you"s they'd shared. He'd carried her upstairs and they'd made slow, passionate love to one another, those three little words falling from each other's lips countless times as they moved in harmony together before collapsing in a sated tangle of limbs as they rode out their highs. Sex with Charles had always been incredible, but that time felt different – there was a whole new level of emotion involved because of their earlier declarations, and never before had she felt closer to another human being. They were totally open, and totally vulnerable with each other, and the feeling was indescribable.

As she looked around the office she wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to do now, so she sat at her usual desk and started work on Diana's schedule. She'd bumped a meeting and arranged a few appointments before a Buzzfeed notification flashed up on her phone and caught her attention. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed excitedly as she read the title and quickly scanned the article. Chrissie Hart's memoir had made the NYT bestseller list!

A huge smile lit up her face, and with the article still open on her phone she ran over to Charles's office to share the news with him. She raised her hand to knock on the door but then realised he wasn't there. The smile slipped from her face and she sighed as she looked in at his empty office. It looked the same except a few things had been cleared off his desk.

Liza deflated somewhat at the realisation that she wouldn't see him day to day in the office anymore. They wouldn't be able to flirt over the coffee machine and she wouldn't be able to come and see him in in his office when she had some exciting news, or simply when she missed him. They'd shared a lot of memorable moments in this office, many that had shaped their feelings and helped build their relationship into what it was now. She smiled as she stepped inside and leaned on his desk as she looked around, happy memories flooding back: massaging his back when she'd found him lying on the floor in pain due to a back spasm, sharing drinks late at night due to securing 'Me, Myself and O', talking about how readers deserved their HEA and that a happy ending wasn't the worst thing to hope for. Then there was the time when he'd put his feelings out there and yelled at her in frustration that he didn't know why she was dating a forty-something guy in publishing that wasn't him. She blushed as she ran her fingers over the desk and remembered how he'd lay on top of her in this exact spot, hands desperately roaming each other's bodies after they'd given in to months of pent up desire. There were also the more recent sweet moments since they'd gotten together, like when she came to see him after the Christmas break and he'd told her he missed her and tentatively asked if he could see her that night, or when he told her divorced moms from Jersey were more his style and he'd smiled adorably at her when she'd kissed her giraffe with glasses doodle and given it to him.

Even if they weren't in this office, she knew they would share many more moments, and she'd still get to see him every day. But standing in his office without him, she missed him. Liza picked up her phone and typed out a text to him. _'Hey, I've just heard From the Heart has made the NYT bestseller list! That's your book – congratulations! L x'_

Liza smiled as the three dots appeared immediately. _'Hey, yeah Chrissie just called me – I'm pretty sure she was drunk! Maybe you should tell her about your stick of butter plan!...and thank you. C x'_

Liza chuckled at the thought of him trying to get a drunk Chrissie off the phone. She'd gotten used to texting him like this and then looking up and catching his eye across the office. Even though she'd only seen him last night, she really did miss him. _'I'm proud of you…and I miss you.'_

The three dots appeared again and she stared at them waiting for his reply. It didn't disappoint. _'I'm proud of you too. I miss you too. And I love you x'_

Liza blinked away the tears that had started to form and were making her eyes misty. That was the first time he'd said it in print and it made her heart swell. They'd said it a lot in the last 24 hours but she knew she'd never tire of hearing it. _'I love you too'._

When she'd collected herself she smiled fondly once more at his office as she closed the door and went back to her own desk. The location was irrelevant, because her and Charles were together now and that's all that mattered. Liza absorbed herself in a manuscript and didn't notice as other people stared arriving. She jumped as Diana breezed over to her and asked to see her in her office.

A sense of dread settled in her stomach as she cautiously closed the door and took a seat across from Diana. She could feel her heart beating in her chest as Diana regarded her curiously. "So, you and Charles?"

Liza stuttered, expecting it but not expecting it at the same time. Her words came out in a splurge as she attempted to explain. "Diana, it's not what you think – he didn't take advantage and I didn't do it to get ahead –"

"Liza, I didn't think any of those things" Diana interrupted, "I've seen the way you look at him – I'm not blind. To begin with I figured you just had a bit of a crush on him – I mean who can blame you really?!...but then I started to notice how he looked at you. I saw you go and speak to him in the bar in Frankfurt. He looked so sad, but that changed as soon as you sat down with him. I've known Charles for a long time and I've never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you, not even Pauline."

To say she was shocked was an understatement. Maybe she hadn't hidden her feelings as well as she'd thought. "I love him" she told her simply, needing her to know that this wasn't a fling or something she'd done on a whim. Diana deserved to know the truth.

"Good" Diana replied, equally as simply. "He deserves some happiness. Just, don't hurt him."

"I won't" Liza assured her. She was expecting more of a disapproval, especially considering when she'd first arrived at Empirical, Diana had clearly had a crush on Charles. It would seem that everyone had grown and moved forward. It was sweet though that Diana cared about Charles and just wanted him to be happy.

Liza decided in that moment that she wanted to tell Diana everything – she owed it to her, and she didn't want to lie anymore. She glanced nervously at her "Diana, there's something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time, but I've never managed to find the right time." Diana just looked at her expectantly. Liza let out a deep breath. "I'm not 27 – I'm 41. No one wanted to hire me as a 40 year old who'd been out of the game for 16 years and I really, really needed a job. So I pretended to be 26. I'm so grateful that you gave me a chance Diana and I'm so sorry I lied to you."

"Have you finished?" Liza just nodded, waiting for the inevitable admonishing and disappointment she was sure would be thrown her way. But to her absolute surprise, it didn't come. "Liza, I haven't gotten to where I am without being able to read people and without paying attention to detail."

Liza's eyes widened in shock. "You knew?"

"Of course I knew" Diana replied, as if it were absurd to consider otherwise. "I started putting the pieces together a year ago when that God awful, termite tattooed hobbit was going to invest in that little bookstore of yours in Jersey."

Liza's jaw dropped and she opened her mouth to reply a few times before any sound came out. "You must hate me."

Diana waved her off dismissing the suggestion, but Liza could see a trace of hurt in her eyes. "I don't hate you. Whilst I would have preferred you to have told me sooner, I understand why you didn't. I know what it's like for women, especially women our age, to be taken seriously in this business – you did what you had to do, and that takes balls." And just like that there was a new mutual appreciation between the two of them – she could really see herself being good friends with Diana.

"Thank you" was all she could manage to get out, her already massive respect for Diana trebling in that moment.

Diana gave her a small smile. "Now, I'm guessing with you being promoted to executive editor that you won't be my assistant anymore. But until Quinn provides me with a suitable replacement, I'm going to need you to keep my plates spinning."

"Of course" Liza smiled at her. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Can I get you a coffee?"

"Black, no cream."

"Coming right up."

* * *

The rest of her day went by fairly uneventfully and for that she was grateful because it gave her a chance to get to grips with what her new role would entail. It didn't seem like she'd be doing much different to what she'd already been doing with Millennial, she'd just have a lot more authority and power in terms of what books they published – as well a sizeable pay rise. This is what she'd been working towards for the past two years and she was determined to make a go of it – not just for herself but also for Charles. He'd put his trust in her to help run his company and make it a success, and she would not let him down.

She was going round to Charles's house after work for dinner and she was looking forward to it. She'd smiled affectionately when he'd texted her earlier asking _'Which one of my easy dinners for kids would you like tonight? C x'._ She'd responded simply with _'Surprise me. L x'._

As she finished up the last few pages of a manuscript she'd been working on, Diana came and perched on the side of her desk. "Enzo texted and said he has a surprise for me when I get home." She held her phone out to show Liza the text with a frown on her face. "Last time a man said that to me I ended up with his teenage son masturbating on my linen couch."

Liza smirked in amusement. "Enzo isn't Richard. And as far as I know, he doesn't have any kids – teenage or otherwise. I've seen him with you – I'm pretty sure whatever he has planned for you it'll be good." Diana tried to suppress her smile but it didn't work. "I'm really happy for you."

"Thank you Liza."

Liza smiled at her, and she really hoped that they would be friends. Something caught Diana's eye and she smirked as she leaned down conspiratorially, "I think there's someone here to see you." She nodded towards the elevator then disappeared back into her office.

Liza swung around in her chair and her breath caught at the sight of Charles strolling towards her, looking like a catalogue model in his fitted black sweater and dark jeans. His eyes fixed on hers and he smiled shyly at her as he came to a stop in front of her desk.

"Hey" he said softly.

"Hey" she breathed, still distracted by the sight of him – her man.

"You said to surprise you. I thought I could walk you home." Liza's heart fluttered at how he referred to his house as 'home' in relation to her.

She smiled warmly at him as she stood up, "I'd like that."

He beamed at her and held out his hand. As she intertwined their fingers his eyes shone with happiness as he looked at her. He brushed his thumb over the back of her hand, and said reverently "I can hold your hand in the office."

She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat at his words. God she loved this man so much. "You can" she murmured. And as they walked hand in hand through the halls of Empirical, where they'd met and fell in love, and out into their new world where they were finally free to be together, Liza knew that everything they'd been through to get to this point was worth it – because THEY were worth it.


	3. Everywhere

AN: Thank you sooooo much for your reviews for the last chapter - your feedback as always is AMAZING! So it seems this fic has morphed into a multi-chapter instead of a one-shot...well it is a long hiatus after all!

This chapter is a storyline I'd like to see happen in S6, and thanks to Oc7ober for the prompt. Hope you like it and please drop me a review to let me know what you think :)

Enjoy :)

* * *

CHARLES

' _All I need is you. x'_ Charles grinned so hard his cheeks hurt as he read the message that had just popped up on his phone. Ever since Christmas he'd noticed he'd been doing that a lot, and it didn't take a genius to figure out the reason why. Liza had evoked a change in him from the moment they met, but finally 'being' with her created a level of happiness in his life that he hadn't known was possible. He was going round to her apartment tonight to have dinner with her and Caitlin and he'd messaged her to ask if there was anything she needed him to bring, and he couldn't have loved her response more. His eyes shone with love as he texted back, _'Ditto x'._

Despite the excitement he always felt at the prospect of seeing Liza, he was nervous about meeting Caitlin for the first time as her mother's boyfriend. The last time he'd seen her had been at Bob and Julia's Christmas party where she'd only known him as 'a friend of the Katz's'. She now knew that he was a little more than that and that he and Liza were together, and he was nervous about how she would react to him. Liza had assured him that it would be fine, but he was still nervous. Caitlin was the most important person in Liza's life, so that made her important to him too. He desperately wanted her approval and for her to be happy for them. They'd had so many obstacles thrown in their path on their road to being together, and he really wanted this just to go smoothly.

He could feel his heart beating a little faster than usual in his chest as he examined his appearance in the bedroom mirror. He was more worried than he cared to admit that she wouldn't like him, and that that would negatively affect his relationship with Liza. He was going into unknown territories tonight – he'd met plenty of girlfriend's parents in the past, but he'd never met a girlfriend's daughter before. He also had no experience of teenage girls, as his girls hadn't reached that stage yet - if Caitlin was under 10 he'd have felt more like he knew what he was doing.

Charles would never admit it to anyone, but he'd felt decidedly like a woman when he was getting ready, as he emptied half of his closet onto his bed trying to figure out what to wear. He vetoed the idea of a suit, deciding he would look far too formal for a casual dinner. He finally settled on a pair of smart navy jeans and a black button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Liza had mentioned previously that she loved him in black, and that she found him incredibly sexy when he had his sleeves rolled up, so this was for her. He loved seeing the effect he had on her when she was turned on. He'd been wearing a lot of black lately.

He took a deep breath for courage as he headed downstairs and into the kitchen. He quickly scanned his wine collection and picked up one of his nicest pinot noirs. As much as Liza insisted she didn't need him to bring anything, his upbringing had taught him never to turn up to a dinner empty-handed, and he knew she liked this wine. He grabbed his wallet and keys and headed outside to his waiting Uber, nervously hoping that tonight would go well.

As he stood on her porch and pressed the buzzer for her apartment, he smiled as he remembered the first time he'd stood here like this. He'd experienced such pure happiness and relief as he told her "I don't care anymore" before taking her in his arms and kissing her, like he'd been longing to do ever since Pound Ridge. Coming here to see Liza instead of going to the airport was the best decision he ever made, because it laid the groundwork to get them to the point they were at now, where he could honestly say that he was truly happy.

After what felt like an eternity, but in reality was actually only a few moments, the door buzzed to allow him in, and he was met with Liza's smiling face waiting for him outside her door at the top of the stairs. He took her into his arms and kissed her softly, basking in her warmth and nearness. "Hi" he breathed as he leaned his forehead on hers. "I missed you."

Liza smiled and giggled, and it was music to his ears. "You only saw me yesterday."

"That's too long" he replied, meaning it wholeheartedly – he missed her as soon as he was away from her. He hoped that one day, in the not too distant future, that they'd get to fall asleep together every night and that his home would be her home.

Liza's resulting smile as she said "I missed you too" sent a rush of warmth surging through his veins. She took his hand and squeezed it gently as she led him into the apartment, sensing his nervousness. "You'll be fine" she whispered, and he hoped she was right.

Caitlin came over to them when she saw them come in. "Caitlin, you remember Charles?" Liza introduced, smiling between them.

Caitlin regarded him and he couldn't tell what she was thinking. "Yeah, you were at Rose's parents party."

Charles smiled at her, "I was. It's nice to see you again Caitlin." He held his hand out to her and she shook it and gave him a tight smile. He got the feeling this wouldn't be an easy ride.

* * *

As they sat around the table having dinner, Charles could feel the tension in the air. Liza and Caitlin seemed to be having some sort of silent conversation between them. Caitlin rolled her eyes at Liza and looked over at him. "So how long have you two been a thing?".

Charles was slightly caught off guard as this was the first time she'd attempted to make conversation with him. "erm, we've been together since Christmas" he told her and felt Liza place a reassuring hand on his leg under the table. "But the feelings have been there for a long time."

Caitlin nodded, taking this information in, then turned back to Liza. "You had feelings for him even when you were with Josh? Is that why it ended?"

Charles looked at Liza, curious about her answer, and saw her jaw clench in annoyance as she glared at her daughter. He placed his hand over hers that was still on his leg, and some of the tension eased from her face. "I had feelings for Charles then, yes, but me and Josh ended for a number of reasons. We're at very different stages of our lives and we want different things – it would never have worked."

Liza's words were a comfort to him and provided answers to something he'd always wandered. If he was honest with himself, he'd been jealous of Josh when he was with Liza, because he was with the woman Charles was in love with. Knowing that he hadn't been alone in his feelings during that time was a relief.

Caitlin however was not quite as comforted by Liza's explanation. "I saw him on the way over here by the way – he said to say hi." Liza glared at her but Caitlin was not deterred as she turned her attention back to him. "So when this started did you think Mom was 27?"

Charles groaned inwardly, sensing where she was going with this – it was the same reaction Quinn had had when she'd found out. It was frustrating because what they were doing wasn't wrong – you can't help who you fall in love with. Yes he was her boss, and yes he'd thought there was an age gap to begin with, but none of that mattered because their feelings were real and genuine. He understood that Caitlin was only looking out for her mother though. "Originally, yes."

"So you were chasing after what you thought was your 27 year old assistant?" Charles sighed – this was going worse than he'd feared.

"Caitlin!" Liza snapped angrily.

Charles squeezed her hand in an attempt to soothe her. "It's ok – she has a right to ask questions" he said softly.

"It's not alright – she's being rude" Liza replied, then turned her attention on Caitlin. "And if you're going down that road, you do realise Josh is 27 and I'm in my 40's, and you're okay with that – it would have been no different, except that me and Charles are both actually in our 40's. I shouldn't have to explain myself, but just so you know – we both tried to fight it, but in the end we couldn't. He didn't chase me because he thought I was younger, and I didn't chase him because he's my boss or to get ahead. I love him Caitlin, and he's a good man. He's a part of my life and you need to accept that. I want you to be happy for me."

Charles swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat at hearing her speak about him, and them, in that way. He touched his knee against hers in a silent thank you. Caitlin clearly wasn't expecting that declaration from Liza and looked guilty as she dropped her gaze. Charles didn't want her to feel bad though, and he needed her to know that Liza's feelings weren't one sided and that he really cared for her. "Thinking your mom was 27 actually held me back. It wasn't her age that attracted me to her" he told her softly. His eyes couldn't help but be drawn to Liza's as he continued, "It was her mind, her love of literature and her kind heart. She's a very, very beautiful person – inside and out."

The rest of dinner went by uneventfully as Caitlin's reservations and concerns seemed to have been eased by their previous conversation. The three of them engaged in easier small talk about work and college, the atmosphere having thawed somewhat. As Liza got up to get dessert, Charles's nervousness returned however as he was left alone with Caitlin.

"I'm sorry for how I treated you earlier" she admitted as she looked at him sheepishly.

Charles smiled warmly at her, "It's okay – you're protective of your mom and you're looking out for her. It's understandable to be wary of somebody new in her life."

"No, it's not okay - I was a bitch. You didn't deserve that, and I'm sorry."

"It's forgotten" he assured her. Maybe tonight hadn't gone as badly as he'd thought. "What made you change your mind?"

Caitlin gave him a small smile as she replied, "You did. I saw how you were looking at Mom when you were talking about what attracted you to her. You love her don't you?"

That was the easiest question he could ever be asked, "I do - very much." No words existed to adequately describe how much.

Caitlin seemed to like his answer because her face lit up. "And she's obviously head over heels for you." She glanced over at Liza in the kitchen and the bond between the two of them was clear. "She's really happy and that's all I want for her. So, thank you for making her happy."

As awkward and uncomfortable as their earlier conversation had been, Charles now felt a real affinity with Caitlin. He could see himself getting on really well with her and he was very glad they'd done this. Her approval meant the world to him, and hearing her say that he made Liza happy made his heart swell. "She makes me very happy too."

Caitlin grinned, "Can we start again?" she asked tentatively.

Charles smiled affectionately at her, "Of course."

She held her hand out to him she said "Hi, I'm Caitlin. That was my crazy twin you met earlier - I'm nothing like her."

Charles chuckled as he shook her hand and smiled at the mini version of Liza in front of him. "It's nice to meet you Caitlin. I'm Charles."

And just like that, all of the previous animosity disappeared, and in its place a mutual appreciation and respect was developed. He caught Liza's eye from the kitchen as she raised an eyebrow, silently asking him if he was alright. He smiled warmly at her and nodded, letting her know that everything was okay. He was pretty sure Liza had intentionally left the two of them alone to bond as she seemed to be taking her time, but it seemed her plan had worked.

"I can't believe Mom came up with that crazy plan to pretend she was in her 20s!" Caitlin giggled, "How did you feel when you found out she was 41?"

Charles shook his head in amusement. All of the anger and hurt that he'd previously felt had long since gone and he could now appreciate the comedic element of it. "erm, well I was shocked to say the least." They laughed together and then settled into an easy conversation.

When Liza returned the three of them settled in the lounge with their dessert, in front of a movie. He smiled as he watched mother and daughter animatedly narrate what was clearly a movie they had seen numerous times before, and playfully bicker over the merits of various characters. As Liza slipped her hand into his and smiled at him in that way she reserved only for him, a sense of contentedness and completeness washed over him. He had the woman he loved and the acceptance of the most important person in her life – he couldn't ask for anything more.

At the end of the night he reluctantly said his goodbyes. He didn't want to leave but even though Caitlin was 19 he thought it might be a bit weird for her if he stayed over the first time she really met him. The two of them walked with him to the door. "Thank you for having me over – I've had a really good night" he told them earnestly. He turned to Caitlin and smiled warmly as her as he held out his hand. "It was great to see you again Caitlin."

Caitlin surprised him by ignoring his handshake and instead pulling him into a quick hug. She blushed slightly as she stepped back, "You too."

Liza seemed equally as surprised at her daughter's actions, but pleasantly so, as she smiled affectionately between him and Caitlin.

"Well I'm gunna hit the hay" Caitlin added, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight" "Night" He and Liza said in unison as they watched Caitlin disappear into her room.

Liza wrapped her arms around his waist as she smiled warmly at him. "Despite a rocky start, that actually went really well. She likes you."

Charles cupped her face with his hand and beamed at her, "I like her too." He brushed his thumb softly over her cheek as he looked at her reverently, sending out a silent prayer of thanks for bringing this woman into his life. "I like her mom too…in fact, I more than like her."

Liza grinned happily, "You do?"

"I do" he replied softly, "I love her."

"Well that's good because she loves you too."

Charles's breath caught in his throat – no matter how many times he heard her say it, it never failed to make his heart flutter. His smile got even wider as he replied, "She does?"

"She does" Liza murmured, "And she would very much like to kiss you now."

"Well, if that's what she wants…" Charles whispered huskily as he leaned down and brushed his lips over hers. The now familiar electricity he felt when they kissed rushed through his veins as Liza tightened her arms around him, holding him close.

Their goodnight kiss continued for a number of minutes as they took their time savouring each other, neither of them wanting to part. When they reluctantly came up for air, he intertwined his fingers with hers and brought their joined hands up to his lips, before placing a tender kiss on her knuckles. "So I'll see you tomorrow."

Liza smiled "You will"

He held her face in his hands and rested his forehead on hers. "Okay, I'm going now" he whispered, making no move to actually leave.

Liza giggled, "You are?" she asked amusedly.

Charles chuckled, "I am." With one last kiss he groaned and reluctantly stepped out of her embrace and out into the hallway. "Goodnight Liza."

"Goodnight Charles."

He hadn't made it to the bottom of the stairs before his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and his face split into a huge grin as he read the text:

' _I miss you already x'_

Liza had stolen his line as well as his heart – and he wouldn't have it any other way.


	4. Like He Has Wanted To Do

AN: Thank you so much for your amazing reviews for the last chapter - I can't say enough how much they mean to me and make my day! This chapter has taken a while to write because it is loooong - it's actually the longest chapter I've written across any of my stories, so hopefully that'll make up for the delay in posting :) *Also, this one is more towards the M scale of things, just as a warning...but I'm sure most of you won't mind that too much!lol

I'd love to hear what you think so please drop me a review and leave me a comment :) Also, if you have any ideas for scenarios you'd like to see then feel free to let me know.

Hope you enjoy :)

* * *

LIZA

Liza smiled as she slung her rather heavy overnight bag, that she had triple checked had everything she needed, over her shoulder, and headed out into the warm early morning Manhattan air. It was only 6 AM on Friday morning but she wanted to get into the office early so that she could leave at lunchtime. She had something planned for Charles that he knew nothing about, and she couldn't wait to surprise him.

Since stepping down as publisher and the public face of Empirical, Charles had been working a lot with Quinn on the financial side of things, whilst he figured out what his next step would be. He'd told her he had something in the pipeline, but he wanted to keep it to himself until it was more finalised so that he could surprise her. He seemed excited about it and she was intrigued as to what it might be, but knowing what a brilliant mind and kind heart he had, she was sure that whatever it was it would be very impressive. In the meantime though he was spending a large proportion of his days with a woman who had openly admitted her interest in him, albeit before she knew about her and Charles being together. Liza was happy that he was still playing a part in the company as it was still his company - his family's company, and even if he wasn't in the office day to day, it was nice for him to still have an input. But, even though she knew it was irrational and she felt stupid for feeling it, she was jealous of the time Quinn spent with him, because she knew Quinn was attracted to him. Liza couldn't blame her really - Charles Brooks was a ridiculously attractive man, and he didn't even know it, which only made him more attractive. She knew he would never cheat on her, and that half the time he didn't even notice how much attention women gave him, but him spending time with a woman who was clearly aware of that attractiveness, brought out her possessive side.

Liza had been snowed under with work lately and so hadn't gotten to spend as much time with him as she would have liked. With Millennial now at the helm, coupled with her desire to do her best for the company and for Charles and to make sure he hadn't stepped down for nothing, she'd assumed a lot more responsibility and her workload had piled up. She missed him - it had got to the point that even going a few hours without seeing him she would miss him, and not seeing him day-to-day in the office was hard. He was always the one taking her places and treating her, so this weekend she wanted to switch it and do something for him.

She knew the girls were with Pauline this weekend and so she'd made arrangements to take him away for a couple of days, and she couldn't wait. As she hauled her bags off the subway and made her way through Midtown, she smiled as she recalled the day Charles had introduced her to Nicole and Bianca as his girlfriend. She'd been decidedly nervous before going round to his house that day, probably much like Charles had been before meeting Caitlin, but it turned out there was no need to be. The girls had been totally fine with it – they'd actually seemed happy about it and were excited that they'd get to see her more often. They were probably also relieved that their dad was with someone that they liked and that was an improvement in their eyes on Rahda. Liza wasn't sure how old they'd thought she was when she babysat for them, but the issue of age never came up. She guessed everything was just simpler through the eyes of children and things like that just don't matter to them - it would be nice if adults could share that point of view.

Her and Charles had spent time with the girls, just the four of them, on numerous occasions now and it was great - she really did love those girls and she loved the time they spent together. She wanted this weekend to be just her and Charles though. She wanted some quality time with him away from work and any distractions, and if she was honest - away from Quinn. Now that they were finally together, it was incredible and more than she could have ever hoped for, so any threat, be it real or perceived, brought out her slightly jealous and possessive side. Charles was her man – no one else's.

Liza wasn't surprised to find she was the only one in, and as she sat down at the desk in her office – yes, she now had her own office, which she was still getting used to, the first thing she did was pull out her phone and send a good morning text to Charles. She smiled as the three dots appeared instantly and she stared at the screen, eagerly awaiting his reply. Her heart did a little flutter and she grinned so hard her cheeks hurt as she read his words.

' _You've a place in my heart no one else ever could have.'_

Lately he'd taken to doing this adorably cute thing whereby he'd send her quotes from her favourite authors, and this week it had been Fitzgerald quotes. He always managed to find the perfect one to sum up how they felt about each other. Yesterday he had sent her _'You intoxicated me. It was just as though you were making me love you by some invisible force'_ and Wednesday it had been _'You are the finest, loveliest, tenderest, and most beautiful person I have ever known - and even that is an understatement.'_ Charles had no idea how incredible he was - he was a hopeless romantic and a total book nerd, and she loved him all the more for it. She smiled affectionately as she drew on her own literary catalogue in her mind and typed back her own Fitzgerald quote in reply:

' _Sweetheart I've been frightfully busy, but you know I have thought of you every minute.'_

And that was true – despite how busy she had been lately, he had been in her thoughts the entire time. She loved how they shared such a passion for books and how she could have a literary back-and-forth with him over text – the bookworm in her was doing a happy dance.

* * *

When 12:30 rolled around, Liza quickly clicked 'send' on an email to an executive at Hello Sunshine and shoved the two manuscripts she'd been working on into her desk drawer – this weekend was going to be totally work free and purely about her and Charles. She typed out a quick text to Kelsey to tell her she was leaving then grabbed her things and hurried as inconspicuously as possible to the elevator, praying that no one accosted her, wanting something from her on the way. She smiled in victory as the elevator doors closed and she descended the building to begin her weekend of freedom with Charles.

Liza excitedly jogged up the front steps to Charles's townhouse just after 1 PM and quietly let herself in, using the key he'd given her a few weeks ago. Her heart had melted when he had blushed and shyly stuttered his way through explaining that he wanted her to have a key to his house so that she would feel at home there and that if he was running late she would be able to let herself in. When she'd noticed the little Paris keyring attached to it, she'd remembered their conversation in Frankfurt about him wanting to take her there, and it had been too much. She'd thrown herself into his arms and kissed him until they were both breathless. That had turned into a very memorable, and very pleasurable evening. The gesture had meant more to her than he knew because it signified how much he wanted her to be a part of his life, and how committed he was to her – and to them.

She found him in the front lounge sitting on the couch, with one leg bent and resting on the opposite knee, totally engrossed in a book. Liza remembered him saying a while ago how books were such a big part of his work life, it was hard to figure out which ones were part of his life-life, so it was nice to see him having time to read for pleasure. She smiled as she snuck up on him and covered his eyes with her hands.

Charles sighed and she saw a smile tugging at his lips, "Mmm I'm hoping this is my girlfriend, otherwise she won't be very happy."

Liza grinned - she loved hearing him call her his girlfriend. "Lucky for you, it is your girlfriend" she murmured in his ear. She came round to the front of the couch and sat down side-saddle on his lap as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Charles discarded his book on the cushion and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. "This is a nice surprise."

She could feel his warm breath on her lips as he spoke, and it sent tingles down her spine. "Well I'm glad, because I have another one for you" she replied huskily, leaning in so their lips were less than a millimetre apart.

Charles smiled and his lip brushed hers in a featherlight touch as he spoke, causing her to gasp. "Really? Well, if it's anything like your first one, I'm fairly certain I'll like it."

He held her gaze as he leaned forward to close the gap but she smirked as she pulled back, teasing him. "I'm taking you away for the weekend" she told him happily, "and you need to go pack."

She made a move to get up but he held her tightly by the waist, keeping her pressed against him. "A weekend away with you sounds incredible" he murmured softly, the sound reverberating against her lips and setting her senses alight. "So where are we going?"

"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise" she replied, running her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck.

Charles smirked in amusement and leaned her back onto the couch so he was hovering over her, his body pressing into hers. He softly moved the hair from her forehead with his hand before ducking his head down to hers, so close that his lips brushed hers with every huskily whispered word. "I can be very persuasive."

Liza's insides liquefied at his words - she had experienced many times how very, very persuasive he could be. "Oh I know" she whispered, ensuring her lips touched his with every word too. "I like it when you're persuasive." She finally closed the gap between them, a soft moan escaping her throat at the feel of his tongue running along her lips. The kiss was hot and frenzied as they reacquainted themselves with the feel of each other - even though it had only been two days, it felt like far too long. As he ran his hands under her dress and up her sides, leaving a trail of fire in their wake, it almost pushed her over the edge. It would be so easy to get lost in him and let him take her into their own little bubble of euphoria, but her excitement to see his face when he saw where they were going won through – just.

It took every ounce of self-restraint she could muster, but she pushed him up and rolled out from underneath him before he had chance to process what was happening. As she stood up, she giggled at the confused look on his face, his eyes hazy with lust. She held her hand out to him, "Come on - you need to pack." Charles smirked in amusement as he took her hand and stood up. Liza leaned into him and held his gaze as she murmured "You can be as persuasive as you like tonight."

He was packed and ready to go in record time.

* * *

Liza had informed Charles that she would be driving them to their mystery location and had commandeered his car to do so. He had graciously offered to drive himself but had then amusedly handed over the keys at her insistence that she wanted to drive. If he drove then she would have to tell him where they were going and she wanted to keep him in suspense until they got there. Plus, he had a nice car and it was fun to drive!

Charles tried several times during the journey to get her to divulge their destination, but each time she would just giggle and tell him that patience was a virtue and that it would be worth the wait. He'd laughed in amusement and then intertwined his fingers with hers, holding her hand that was resting on her leg. Two hours seemed to fly by in no time at all as they talked and laughed, catching up on the past couple of days, sharing stories and just basking in the simple pleasure of just 'being' with each other.

As Liza pulled off the I-495, Charles squeezed her hand and smiled at her, giving her that look that he reserved only for her. She guessed he now had an inkling of where they were going. When she parked up outside their hotel, she looked over at him and saw that his eyes were shining with joy and excitement.

"Thank you" he said softly, bringing her hand up to his lips and placing a tender kiss on her knuckles.

"Is it a good surprise then?" she grinned, pretty sure he was happy but wanting to hear him say it.

"It's a great surprise" he told her warmly, "but wherever we'd gone I'd have liked it, because you'd be there with me."

Liza's heart melted – if she hadn't already fallen in love with him long ago, she would have done right then. "We have some good memories here – this is where we had our second kiss, and our first dance."

"I remember every moment" he replied fondly.

"And where I saw your knees for the first time" she added, causing Charles to laugh. "I thought we could make some new memories this weekend."

"I'd like that – very much."

* * *

The hotel Liza had chosen was near to the one they'd stayed in the last time they'd been here and she'd picked this one because it was right on the beach. When they checked into their room and she opened the patio window, she was impressed to find that it looked right out over the ocean, the sound of the waves softly lapping at the shore making her smile.

Charles came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "This is beautiful, and just what I needed – thank you" he murmured, placing a kiss just behind her ear, which sent a shiver down her spine. "So what spurred the idea to come here?"

Liza placed her hands over his that were resting on her waist and rested her head back on his shoulder. "Well, I've been so busy with Millennial these past few weeks I haven't gotten to see you that much. And you've been spending a lot of time with Quinn."

Charles gently turned her so they were face to face, keeping one hand on her hip and cupping her cheek with the other. "Liza, you don't think…my relationship with Quinn is purely business – you have absolutely nothing to worry about."

He knew her well – he'd picked up on her insecurity and jealousy straight away. He was so earnest and sincere in his reply that she felt stupid for ever feeling that way in the first place. It was just that he meant so much to her and it had taken them SO long to get to this point, she was scared of anything taking him away from her. "I know, it's just…I've missed you."

Charles smiled lovingly at her and brushed her cheek with his thumb, "Liza, you are the only woman that I want. You've been the only woman I've wanted since the moment I met you." He paused and held her gaze as he added, "And you're the only woman I will ever want."

Liza's throat felt tight with emotion as she tried to swallow the huge lump that had formed. She sighed happily as her eyes became misty. She couldn't find the words to adequately describe how much his words meant to her. "I love you" she managed to choke out.

The look in his eyes and the smile on his face at hearing those three little words from her was priceless. "I love you too Liza."

She gasped in surprise as he bent down and scooped her up bridal style and murmured softly "And now I'm going to show you, just how much."

Heat pooled in her belly as he carried her over to the bed and laid her down so gently she wanted to cry with love for him. He leaned over her and slowly kissed a trail of fire from her earlobe to her collarbone, before lightly running his fingers up her legs then her sides in a featherlight caress, pulling her dress up and over her head as he went. She knew what he was doing – he was taking his time and making it all about her, and all she could do was close her eyes and bite her lip as the sensations overwhelmed her.

Her fists balled and she gripped the sheets as his mouth moved lower and circled her navel. She held her breath, feeling goose bumps swathe her body, as he slid her panties down her legs. Every nerve ending was alight, so when he kissed the inside of her knee she almost jumped off the bed. He'd done that on purpose. She opened her eyes to find him standing in front or her at the foot of the bed, smiling smugly – his eyes never leaving hers as he slowly unbuttoned his shirt. The sight of him undressing made her mouth go dry – she needed to touch him. Liza sat up and grabbed his belt, tugging him closer so she was straddling him. She fumbled with the clasp then yanked it open, impatient for there to be no barriers between them. Seeing how ready he was for her after she'd pushed his jeans and boxers down his legs, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down on top of her. She kissed him with a desperation she'd never experienced with anyone else – she didn't just want him, she needed him.

They were both breathless when they came up for air. "I need you" she gasped, wrapping her legs around his waist to bring him closer. She could feel him against her leg and she groaned at the feel of his heat so close to hers.

His hand ran down her side and settled on her hip, and he smiled against her lips as he murmured, "I need you too. But we have all the time in the world - let me take care of you first." He left no room for argument when he began kissing her neck, before making his way slowly downwards. She threw her head back onto the pillow in ecstasy as he took very, very good care of her.

* * *

They'd made love to each other for hours, with the sound of the waves in the background, until they were both wonderfully sated and spent. And now as they lay curled up together in post-coital bliss, her head on his chest and his arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders as he played with her hair, she felt like she could stay in that moment forever.

"I'm glad we waited" Charles mused, breaking the comfortable silence. Liza turned her head and looked up at him. He smiled warmly at her as he elaborated, "… To get together. I mean there were times when it almost killed me not to be able to touch you or kiss you, but I think because we waited so long and had to overcome so much, it made me realise just how much you mean to me and how invested I am in us."

Liza smiled as she replied, "You were worth the wait. And I love being us." She stroked his face as she leaned up and kissed him softly, before settling back on his chest. They lay like that for a while, comfortable and content in each other's arms, until Liza's stomach let out an impressively loud gurgle.

Charles chuckled and pushed himself up onto his elbow. "Are you hungry?" he asked amusedly.

Liza blushed, causing him to chuckle more. "Well we did just work up quite an appetite."

"We did" Charles smirked. "But we can't have you hungry. Shall we get dressed and go and find somewhere to eat?"

Liza looked at him, really looked at him - the man she was hopelessly in love with, who was willing to do anything to ensure she was happy, sat there on the bed with his adorable sex hair sticking up in every direction, and she had no desire to be anywhere else. "I kinda want to stay here - just the two of us. How about we order room service and have dinner in bed?"

Charles grinned as he bent his head down to hers, "Liza, you should know by now that I don't take much convincing to spend more time in bed with you." She giggled, and his eyes shone with happiness as he kissed her and reached for the phone to order their food.

Liza couldn't have been happier as they shared their meal whilst sat cross-legged on the bed, talking and laughing together like they'd been doing this for years. Later on they moved out onto the balcony and Charles wrapped a blanket around them both as they shared a bottle of wine as they looked out at the ocean. So relaxed and content was she that she fell asleep, wrapped in his embrace. She woke slightly at the feel of his strong arms lifting her and carrying her over to the bed. She felt him climb in behind her and wrapped his arms around her. The last thing she heard before she drifted off with a smile on her face was him murmur softly, "Goodnight Liza. I love being us too."

* * *

The next day they eventually made it out of their room and went down to the beach. They relaxed on the sun loungers and swam in the sea, their smiles never leaving their faces. Liza loved seeing him so happy and carefree, and she vowed to make sure they did this more often.

As much as she'd loved their dinner in bed the night before, she wanted to take him out tonight. So after getting dressed up, her in a pale purple summer dress and him in a navy shirt and dress pants, they ate at a romantic little seafood restaurant on the beach. It had been a perfect day and there was one more place she wanted to take him to round off a perfect night. They strolled hand-in-hand down Main Street, grinning widely at each other, then stopped in front of a very familiar place.

Charles sighed happily as he realised where she had brought him. "Where we had our first dance."

Liza looked fondly over at Stephen Talkhouse. "And our second kiss."

Charles grinned, "Shall we go in?"

Liza smiled and repeated the answer she'd given him the last time they'd been here and he'd asked that question, "We have to go in."

* * *

Berlin were unfortunately not playing that night, but the smile on Charles's face as they walked in there together, like they had last time, but really together this time, made it no less special. There was a band playing that neither of them recognised, but they were good, and it was relaxing as they sat and had a drink together. When a slower song started to play, Charles smiled shyly at her as he asked, "Would you like to dance?"

Liza smiled happily and took his hand, "I'd like that."

Charles held her in his arms, much closer than last time – because they were allowed to now. She wrapped her arms around his neck and played with the soft hair there. "Last time we were here I remember thinking how stunningly beautiful you looked in that white dress" he told her softly as they swayed slowly to the music, a fond smile on his face. "I was so nervous when 'Take My Breath Away' came on and people started dancing. I wanted to dance with you and hold you so badly, but I was scared you'd say no or think that I was overstepping."

She smiled warmly at him, "You weren't overstepping, and I wanted it too – I'd had feelings for you for a while."

Charles grinned happily, "I didn't think you'd ever feel that way about me, so when you kissed me I was shocked to say the least. But then I remember thinking how right it felt, and how much I wanted to be with you."

Liza sighed wistfully at the memory. "I felt the same. It confused me because everything was so complicated back then, but just so you know, I felt it too." Her admission brought a beautiful smile to his face that melted her heart. "I am glad we waited though. I know we both wanted to take it further that night, but I'm glad we waited 'til everything was out in the open and there were no more secrets or complications."

"I think we just had to wait for our time." He tenderly cupped her cheek in his hand before leaning down and kissing her softly. "And now we get to be us."

Liza beamed at him, "I like us."

"So do I."

* * *

They stopped by the ice cream shop Charles used to work at as a teenager and they'd shared a sundae as Liza insisted that he needed to show her photos of that time in his life, as she still couldn't picture him in short shorts with big hair! It was hard for her to imagine him any different to the strong, 6ft5 beautiful man she'd fallen in love with. She told him that when they got back he needed to get out the photo albums. Charles had blushed and seemed less thrilled by this idea, telling her that his teenage years were not his most flattering. Liza laughed fondly, positive that he was just as beautiful when he was a child as he was now.

Charles had suggested that they walk back to the hotel along the beach, and so they took off their shoes and strolled hand in hand through the surf, leaving two sets of footprints side by side in the sand. It was a nice night and the beach was deserted so they decided to carry on walking for a while. When they rounded a corner they had to cross a deeper section of water to get to the little cove on the other side. Charles rolled up his pant legs and gave her a piggyback through the water, which came up to his knees. She'd giggled happily as she clung onto him and reasoned that she was wearing a dress, so it didn't matter if her legs got wet. He still insisted on carrying her, and she didn't mind one bit.

He set her back down on her feet when they got out of the water and pulled her into his arms. They'd walked quite far, away from the built-up areas with the hotels and houses and as she looked around she saw that they were totally alone, no one else in sight as far as they eye could see, and surrounded only by sand dunes. Charles followed her gaze and seemed to notice this too because when he looked back at her he had a glint in his eyes.

"So it looks like we have the whole beach to ourselves" he murmured, leaning in so she could feel his warm breath on her lips. His voice was husky as he continued, "How about we go for a swim?"

Liza's eyebrows rose in surprise – he couldn't be suggesting what she thought he was suggesting. He smirked at her shocked expression – yes, he was definitely suggesting what she thought he was suggesting. Charles Brooks was definitely full of surprises, and her pulse quickened at the idea. She smiled at him in amusement, "You're serious? You want to go skinny dipping?"

Charles grinned and stepped back, holding out his hand, "Why not?"

Liza took one more look around to assure herself they were indeed alone, then giggled and shook her head in disbelief as she took his hand and walked with him down to the water. "I can't believe I'm doing this!"

They grinned at each other as they stripped down, leaving their clothes in a pile on the sand. The heat in his eyes as he watched her made her squirm and tingle all over. She gasped in surprise as he scooped her up in his arms and kissed her before carrying her into the ocean and plunging them both under the water. They were both laughing as they surfaced and shook the water from their hair.

"This is crazy" she giggled happily, "I can't believe you persuaded me to do this!"

Charles smirked as he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her to him. His lips were only millimetres from hers as he murmured huskily, "Well, you know I can be very persuasive."

Liza's mouth went dry at the look of pure desire in his eyes. She wrapped her legs around his waist and felt him ready for her and pressing against her thigh. "That is true."

Charles smiled and started kissing the side of her neck before whispering in her ear, "How about I be very persuasive now?"

Liza gasped in pleasure at the feel of his warm breath in her ear. All she could do was nod, and a second later she felt him slide into her. They both moaned at the feeling of being joined again. She'd never done this in water before, but Charles making love to her in the ocean felt exquisite as her body was overcome with sensation. Their moans of passion mingled with the sound of the waves as they built each other up and then climaxed together in what was one of the most intense experiences of their lives.

Neither of them could stop smiling or giggling as they walked hand in hand out of the water afterwards and redressed in their slightly wet and slightly sandy clothes.

"I can't believe we just did that! I've never done that before."

"Me neither." He smiled warmly at her as he took her hand and they started back towards the hotel, "I feel like I'm in my twenties again."

They laughed happily and Liza's heart clenched at how incredible he was. When he'd said 'I don't care anymore' in the snow outside her apartment, he'd meant it – there was no remaining animosity over her lie and he would never throw it in her face. They could laugh about it now and that was more than she could have ever wished for. He was it for her – there was nowhere else she wanted to be but by his side. She stopped and tugged his hand and then reached up and held his face as she kissed him tenderly.

"I love you" she whispered.

Charles smiled that beautiful, breath-taking smile as he replied happily, "I love you too."

Liza knew in that moment that they would be okay. They were strong, they would fight for each other, they were a team, they were finally an 'us'. They were happy.


	5. For As Long As He Can Remember

AN: I'm so glad you enjoyed the last chapter and thank you for your wonderful comments :) Please keep them coming as they truly make my day and I love reading them!

So when I originally started this fic I only ever intended it to be a one-shot, but due to popular demand, and my own inability to stop writing about them, I think it's safe to say this has turned into an on-going project! I'm back at med school in about a week so I won't be able to post as regularly as I have done with my other fics, but I'll keep the chapters coming and update as frequently as I can :)

This chapter is based on a prompt I was given and it deals with a situation that has arisen on the show before, but focuses on how differently it could have been handled if it were Charles in that situation instead of someone else.

For the record, I am (quite obviously) Team Charles, and also very much Team Liza, which given that he wants what is best for her, and he is what she wants, they are tantamount to the same thing.

I hope you enjoy it and please drop me a review to let me know what you think :) Chapter prompts are also welcome!

* * *

CHARLES

Ever since he and Liza had got back from the Hamptons, she'd been spending a lot of time at his house. They spent most nights together now and he loved falling asleep with her in his arms, and waking up with her in the morning. He knew that her moving in permanently was the next step and he absolutely could not wait for that. There was no rush though and he would wait for her cue as to when she was ready for that. He'd already made subtle little changes for her though – a section of his closet now held a few of her outfits, and one of the drawers in his dresser now belonged to her. There was no discussion, it just sort of happened naturally and they slipped seamlessly into this shared living arrangement. It made him smile when he walked around the house and saw little things of hers around the place that showed she'd been there, like her toothbrush in his bathroom, a book she'd been reading on the coffee table, or her reading glasses - that she constantly forgot, on his nightstand. Those were his favourite thing to find – he loved those glasses.

As he straightened his tie and made his way downstairs, the unmistakable giggles of Nicole and Bianca floated through the air, mixed with the sound of Liza's soft voice. The sight he was met with as he leaned on the door frame to the kitchen, melted his heart. The girls were sat at the breakfast bar as Liza leaned over them and placed little pieces of fruit into the shape of faces, on the pancakes she'd cooked for them. He didn't think there was a more beautiful sight than that of all three of his girls smiling and happy together.

Liza looked up and noticed him at the door and smiled warmly at him. "Hey" she greeted him happily.

He grinned and made his way over to them. "Hey". He kissed her tenderly on the cheek then fondly greeted the girls and kissed them on the top of their heads. "Are there any of those left for me?" he asked as he and Liza sat down next to the girls.

"Always" Liza replied, and the look in her eyes made his heart beat faster at the thought of a future with perfect moments like this being a regular occurrence.

"Thank you". He laughed affectionately as she passed him a plate of pancakes, that she'd obviously pre-prepared, one of which had fruit styled into the shape of a book, and the other into the shape of a heart. He was going to marry this woman one day.

Liza squeezed his hand and then turned her attention back to the girls, and he loved that she made such an effort to include them. "You know, I used to make these for Caitlin when she was a little girl"

Bianca smiled at her, seemingly happy that Liza was treating them like she did her own daughter. "Can we meet her Liza?"

"Yeah, can we?" Nicole added excitedly, "She'd be like our big sister."

Liza smiled warmly at them, "Of course - I'm sure Caitlin would love to meet you both."

The girls beamed and Charles's heart swelled at the girls wanting to blend their families, and how comfortable they were around Liza.

After breakfast he herded the girls, complete with all of the things, to the front door, wanting to make sure they got to school on time. He enjoyed having the time now to be able to drop them at school, which is something he was rarely able to do before he stepped down. Liza followed them over and helped the girls put on their backpacks. Charles squeezed her hand fondly and leaned down to place a quick but tender kiss on her lips. "Thank you for this morning. So I'll see you this evening?"

Liza smiled and stroked his hand with her thumb, "You will."

He nodded happily - he would have a permanent smile on his face knowing he would see her again later. "Have a good day."

"You too."

With one last smile he turned and opened the door, expecting the girls to make their way outside, but instead they wrapped themselves around Liza's waist and hugged her. "Bye Liza. Will you be here when we get home?" Bianca asked.

Liza placed a hand on each of their heads and stroked their hair affectionately, "Would you like that?"

"Yeah!" Nicole replied.

"Then I'll come round after I finish at the office."

The girls grinned happily and then waved at her as they left the house. He caught Liza's gaze as he left and no words were needed as he told with his look how much she meant to him and how happy he was.

* * *

After dropping the girls at school he sat down in a coffee shop and flicked through some files before his brunch meeting with Quinn. As had become his daily routine, he typed out a text to her. He knew she loved it when he sent her quotes from her favourite authors, so today he went with Hemingway. _'I love you for all that you are, all that you have been, all that you're yet to be.'_ He clicked 'send' and smiled as he imagined her face when she read it.

After about half an hour he shoved everything back into his briefcase and headed out to his meeting. He was a bit disappointed that Liza hadn't texted him back yet, as she usually responded instantly. He figured she must be on the subway or in a meeting herself.

His meeting with Quinn was productive - with the money that she had invested, the company now had more cash freed up to take on new authors and it seemed they were slowly digging their way out of the financial hole they'd been in. Although they'd gotten a lot done, he couldn't focus 100% on their conversation because he was thinking about Liza. He had a niggling feeling that something was wrong. Charles had texted her again after he finished with Quinn, but that was over an hour ago and he still hadn't heard anything from her, which only intensified that feeling.

He didn't want to come off as clingy or paranoid, but he was genuinely worried about her. After he called her and it just rang out, he reluctantly texted Kelsey to ask if she knew if Liza was okay. He frowned in confusion at her response: _'Haven't seen her - she texted me earlier to say she was working from home.'_ That didn't make sense because she was dressed and ready to leave for work when he left this morning, and she'd told the girls that she'd come back after finishing at the office too. He was relieved that Kelsey had heard from her, but concerned that something must have happened to cause her to not go in.

Charles knew there was no chance of him getting any more work done until he'd satisfied himself that Liza was alright, so he gathered his things and ordered a car. As she wasn't answering her phone he had to guess as to where she was. Kelsey had said she was working from home, but did that mean her apartment or his house?

Taking a punt, he instructed the driver to take him home. As he opened the front door and walked into the lounge he saw that her jacket was still on the couch as it had been this morning, and he felt hopeful that he'd guessed correctly. When he placed his keys down on the kitchen counter he frowned as he found Liza's phone discarded there. He called out her name but got no reply, so after concluding that she wasn't on the ground floor he jogged up the stairs.

"Liza" he called softly as he pushed open the door to his bedroom, that he now thought of as 'their' bedroom. She wasn't in there, but he saw that the light was on in his bathroom. He knocked lightly on the bathroom door and called out to her again, "Liza, are you alright?". Still no answer. "Liza, I'm coming in okay."

The site he was met with when he gently opened the door, broke his heart. Liza was sat on the floor, leaning against the bathtub, with her arms wrapped around her legs. She looked up at him and he'd never seen her look like that before. All of the colour had drained from her face - she was scared and it looked like she'd been crying because there were faint tear tracks on her cheeks. He immediately dropped to his knees and gently placed his hands on her arms, fearful over what could have happened to get her in such a state.

She opened her mouth to say something but no sound came out, and it was then that the box that was sitting on the bathtub caught his eye. His jaw dropped when he realised what it was.

* * *

LIZA

5 hours earlier…

Liza had had the perfect morning - she'd bonded with the girls and spent time with Charles, and kissed him goodbye with the promise to see him later. She smiled widely as she waved the girls off and Charles had looked at her with that look that said that she was his world. It was weird how comfortable she felt here and how totally normal it felt to be in his house, even when she was on her own. They'd sort of just fell into this semi-living together routine whereby it felt stranger for her not to be at his house. She was so happy she even started singing to herself as she got her things together for work.

She was early, so she sat down in the kitchen with a coffee from Charles's fancy coffee machine. She opened her diary and scanned over all her meetings and tasks for the day that were neatly written down. What caught her attention though was the red dot under the date for two days ago, and that was when her day became decidedly less perfect. Her stomach bottomed out - she was late. She was never late. This could not be happening. She could not be pregnant - things were finally going so well for her. Her career had taken off and she was back to where she wanted to be, and her and Charles were better than ever - they were finally on the same page and building something incredible together. She couldn't go back to diapers and night feeds and having someone be totally dependent on her. She'd been there and done that - she loved Caitlin more than anything in the world, but she had no desire to do it again. Now was supposed to be her time - to live her life.

She felt her heart hammering in her chest as she tried to think back over the past month. Her and Charles had had a lot of sex, but they always took precautions - she was on the pill, and she never forgot it. Her brain went into full on freak out mode as she imagined having to tell Charles that she was pregnant. They'd never talked about it before, but she was pretty sure he was on the same page as her and didn't want any more kids. Before she lost all ability to think coherently, Liza grabbed her phone and sent a quick text to Kelsey to say that she was going to work at home today. She knew that there was no possible way that she would be able to do anything productive with regards to work in her current state.

Liza stood up so fast the stool clattered to the floor, making her jump. She picked it up and then tossed her phone into her bag and hurried to the door. Her heart clenched as she picked up her keys, complete with the little Eiffel Tower keyring, and hoped to God that this wasn't the other shoe waiting to drop. She walked the block and a half to the pharmacy in record time and picked out the most expensive, complex looking test she could find. 'Over 99% accurate' – yes, that was what she needed - there was no room for uncertainties. She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited in the queue and then shoved the box unceremoniously into her bag after she'd paid.

As she made her way back to Charles's house she felt her phone vibrate, and tears blurred her eyes as she read his text: _'I love you for all that you are, all that you have been, all that you're yet to be.'_ He'd sent her a Hemingway quote – her favourite author. She loved him so much. Why couldn't it just be simple for them? Why did there always have to be complications coming along, threatening to get in the way of their happiness? She couldn't face telling him about this yet, so she put her phone back in her pocket and hurried back to the house.

Once back, she dumped her phone and keys on the kitchen counter then hurried up the stairs and into the bathroom in Charles's bedroom. As she sunk down onto the floor and stared at the box that contained a test that had the potential to change her life, she suddenly felt petrified. Liza timidly opened the box and pulled out the instructions, placing the box with the test in it out of her eyesight on the rim of the bathtub. According to the instructions it was fairly simple – pee on the stick, wait three minutes and then she'd have an answer as to whether her life was about to be turned upside or not. Except it didn't seem simple. As anxious as she had been to rush out and get the test, so she could get this over with and find out one way or the other, she now couldn't even bring herself to look at the test, let alone take it.

She let the instructions flutter to the floor and wrapped her arms protectively around her legs. As all of the possible scenarios of what could happen if she got a positive result ran through her head, she became more and more scared. She wasn't sure how long she sat there like that for, with the test lying untouched next to her, but she was pretty sure it was a long time because her legs had started to go numb. It wasn't until she heard Charles's concerned voice calling her name that she snapped out of her trance. Her heart rate sped back up as he gently pushed the bathroom door open and looked at her with so much care on his face it made her want to cry. She felt guilty because he'd probably been worried by her lack of contact as they were always texting during the day. When he crouched down in front of her and asked her if she was alright, she wanted to just throw herself into his arms and for him to tell her that everything was going to be okay.

Liza opened her mouth to reply to him but found that her brain had turned to mush, and no sound came out. She saw his gaze flick over to the box that was still laying dormant on the bathtub and watched as his eyes widened and his jaw dropped in shock, as it registered with him why she was sat on the bathroom floor in this state. He looked back at her and she held her breath in anticipation of his reaction.

"Are we…?" he asked softly. Even in her anxious state, Liza's heart swelled with love for him at his use of "we" as opposed to "you". It showed that he saw them as being in this together rather than it just being her issue to deal with.

"I don't know" she managed to croak out, her voice hoarse from lack of use. "I haven't built up the courage to take the test yet."

Charles sat down next to her and took her hand in his, interlacing their fingers. "Well why don't we do it together?"

She could see in his eyes that he was as nervous as she was, but he was here and he wanted to support her. He was being strong for her, so she would be strong for him. "Okay" she whispered. She reached for the box and let out a deep breath as she took the test out. "Okay, I can do this."

"We can do this" Charles corrected.

Liza smiled warmly at him and some of her fear eased. She squeezed his hand to show her gratitude.

He blushed as he asked "Do you need a cup or something?"

She couldn't help but smile at his awkwardness. "Yeah that would probably make it easier."

Charles pushed himself up and rooted around in the bathroom cabinet, before handing her a plastic cup that looked like it belonged to one of the girls. She made a mental note to buy them a new one.

"Thanks."

Charles nodded and smiled fondly at her. "I'll wait outside while you erm…"

"Okay" Liza couldn't help but find his awkwardness amusing – it was probably due to his upper-class upbringing, but it was actually helping to ease some of her stress.

With Charles waiting patiently on the other side of the door, Liza did what was necessary and peed into the kiddie cup. She felt a little like a toddler as she redressed and called out "I'm done".

Charles came back in and smiled encouragingly at her. "So what now?"

"Now we dip the stick". He nodded and watched as she did just that, then replaced the cap and put the stick down on the sink. "And now we wait."

"How long does it take to get a result?"

"3 minutes."

"3 minutes – we can do that." He sat down on the edge of the bathtub and taking her hand he pulled her down onto his lap. He wrapped his arm around her waist and tenderly brushed the hair out of her face. "I know you're scared" he murmured softly, "I'm scared too. But Liza, whatever happens in 3 minutes time, I want you to know that I'll support you in whatever you want to do. We're in this together and I'll be there for you – no matter what."

Liza smiled gratefully at him. His words and support meant more to her than he'd ever know, but this couldn't all be about her – she had to know how he felt too. "But what about you – do you want any more kids?"

Charles held her gaze and spoke softy as he replied, "Liza, I have two beautiful daughters who I love beyond measure – I don't need any more children to make me feel complete. But if it turned out that you were pregnant, and you wanted to keep it, then it would be a little piece of you and me, and I would love him or her just as much as I love Nicole and Bianca. But equally though, I would never want you to go through with something that you didn't want. You're more than enough for me Liza – I don't need anything or anyone else in order to be happy."

Liza swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat at his words. He meant it – he was 100% sincere and it meant the world to her. When she'd been in this situation with Josh, she knew he wanted kids and that he would have wanted her to keep the baby, if there were one, even though he knew it wasn't what she wanted. With Charles however, they were on the same page and she knew he would support her without judgement in whatever decision she made. She glanced down at her watch, "It's been more than 3 minutes."

He squeezed her hand in support as she reached over and picked up the test. As she turned it over and read the word in the little screen she sighed loudly and closed her eyes. "It's negative" she breathed in relief.

Charles held her close and rested his head on top of hers. "Are you okay?"

"I am now." Liza lifted her head and smiled warmly at him, "Thank you…for being you" she added and stroked his cheek affectionately. "Are you okay?"

"I am" Charles replied, "I was worried when I found you in here curled up on the floor, but now I know that you're okay, then I'm okay too."

Liza leaned in and kissed him tenderly, wanting to show him how much she appreciated him. Her brain was too emotionally spent to formulate a sufficiently eloquent response. She pulled back and smiled at him, "I'm relieved" she admitted. "I love kids but I don't want to go back to diapers, no sleep and night feeds again. I like my life as it is now – I love my job, and I love you – I love us. And I don't want to have to share myself with anyone else. Do you understand?"

Charles smiled affectionately and rested his forehead on hers. "I do, and I feel the same. I don't want to have to share you with anyone else either."

Liza was so glad they were in agreement on this, because it's a big thing to have a difference of opinion on. "I think I'm gunna go and see my OBGYN and ask her if there's any better contraceptive methods. See if we can't avoid any more anxiety attacks!"

Charles ran his fingers up and down her spine soothingly, "Would you like me to come with you?"

Liza looked up at him in surprise. She'd never met a man who would willingly accompany her to see her OBGYN. "You'd do that?"

It was Charles's turn to look surprised. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

Liza sighed happily as she looked at him. "You really are an amazing man."

Charles gave her that look of his that always made her heart swell and kissed her sweetly on the nose. "Kelsey said that you were working from home today."

"Yeah I didn't think I'd be very productive going in to the office today. I haven't exactly been very productive staying at home either – I should really do some work." She went to get up but Charles smiled and pulled her back down onto his lap.

"That wasn't what I was getting at" he replied softly, "You called this home."

Liza blushed and ducked her head. She hadn't even realised she'd been doing it. She spent more time here than she did at her own apartment and she had to admit that she did feel at home here, surrounded by Charles and his things, and the girls. "Erm, yeah…I guess I have been spending a lot of time here."

Charles gently tipped her chin up with his finger so she was looking at him, and the happiness emanating in his eyes was palpable. "Liza, it's a good thing – I want you to feel at home here." He stroked her cheek with his thumb as he continued, "And I want my home to eventually be your home too. I don't want to rush you – take your time, I just want you to know, that when you are ready, that I want it too – I want to wake up with you in my arms, every day."

Liza's eyes widened in surprise at his admission. She was touched that he wanted to fully share his life with her. "Do you think we could do that?"

Charles smiled, "I'd say we're almost there anyway – we spend 75% of our nights together now, and I think we make a pretty good job of it."

Liza returned his smile as she recalled all of the happy little domestic moments they'd shared here since they got together – they did make a good team. "The other 25% should be pretty easy then, huh?"

Charles nodded affectionately and then murmured in her ear, "We would be together and have our books, and at night be warm in bed together with the windows open and the stars bright."

Liza sighed happily, "A Moveable Feast!" She beamed at him – he'd just quoted her favourite book, by her favourite author. She shook her head in happy amazement at his ability to pluck from his seemingly infinite literary memory, the most perfectly apt quote for the moment. He grinned at her reaction. "That sounds perfect, and I will definitely give that a lot of thought."

Charles's smile was so bright that it lit up his whole face and she could tell he picked up on her re-use of the words she'd said to him right after he kissed her for the first time at the Paramus Mall, all that time ago. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he leaned down and kissed her softly, the stress of the day melting away as she lost herself in the man she loved.


	6. Overdue Confrontation

AN: As always, thank you so much for your reviews for the last chapter :) I'm so glad you're enjoying this fic!

So this chapter revolves around a confrontation that a lot of people have been asking for, and is something that I really want to see in Season 6. I'd love to hear what you think so please drop me a review and let me know :)

Hope you enjoy it :)

* * *

LIZA

After their pregnancy scare the other week, Charles had kept to his word and accompanied her to her appointment. He hadn't cared that he was the only guy in the waiting room, or that he was getting some strange looks from the other women – he was just there to support her, and that just made her love him even more. The OBGYN had assured them that the pill she was on was one of the most effective and that if she continued to take it at the correct time every day, and didn't miss any doses, then there was very little chance of her becoming pregnant. She also gave her a pamphlet on things to be aware of that may lower its efficiency, such as taking certain medications. She'd explained that it wasn't unusual to be late sometimes and that it can happen for a variety of reasons, but was usually nothing to worry about. She'd done a blood test just to be on the safe side, which had thankfully come back normal, and the anxiety of the previous week had finally abated. Liza had however set three alarms on her phone to notify her when she needed to take her pill, to be certain she wouldn't forget it. Charles had offered to use extra precautions if she was still worried and she appreciated the gesture, but she loved the feel of just him without any barriers between them. So with that drama behind them and with the OBGYN's assurances in her mind, they'd gotten back to normal and were just enjoying being together.

"Last night was amazing" Liza murmured as she interlaced her fingers with Charles's and rested her head on his shoulder as they sat in the back of the cab.

He kissed the top of her head and she could feel him smiling. "It was."

A rush of warmth flooded her as she recalled their evening together. Her and Charles had had a movie night in with the girls and Liza had handed the choice of movie over to them. Nicole and Bianca had excitedly cried out "Frozen" in tandem. Liza had never seen it before so she was intrigued to watch it but Charles audibly groaned at their choice, and she'd giggled at the thought that he'd probably had to sit though it many, many times before.

The girls knew every word and sang along enthusiastically to all of the songs and they'd laughed happily as Liza tried to join in. The look on Charles's face as he watched the three of them belt out a slightly off-key rendition of 'Let it go' told her that, even though he probably knew the script off by heart, he was happy and there was nowhere else he'd rather be.

After the movie, copious amounts of popcorn and a game of charades, the girls had fallen asleep on the couch. She'd carried Bianca upstairs whilst Charles had carried Nicole, and they'd tucked them into bed. They'd murmured a sleepy "Goodnight Daddy" as Charles turned off their light and Liza was touched when it was followed by a soft "Night Liza".

They'd gone back downstairs and she'd sat in between his legs, her back resting against his chest and his arm wrapped around her waist as they shared a bottle of wine. They'd talked, laughed and just enjoyed each other's company, and when the wine was finished, hands had started to roam. The atmosphere was alight with desire as that now familiar electric current coursed through their veins at each other's touch. No matter how many times they'd done this before, there was always the same excitement and passion that there'd been during their first time.

Before things got too heated, Charles had stood up, lifting her easily with him and then took her hand and led her up to the bedroom. He'd made love to her for hours as the moonlight shone in through the window, creating a magical quality as it illuminated their skin. He knew exactly what she needed, and he made sure that every one of her needs was met. Eventually they'd collapsed into a sated tangle of limbs and fallen asleep in each other's arms. It had been perfect.

They were on their way to drop her off at her apartment as she hadn't been back in a few days and was running out of clothes. Charles was going to go and pick the girls up from their ballet class and then take them out for icecream. He'd invited her along too but she didn't want the girls to think that she took up all of their time with their dad, and thought it would be nice for them to have him to themselves for the day. She was planning on spending some time with Maggie and then heading back over to Charles's house in the morning.

As they pulled up outside her apartment, Charles got out and held the door open for her. His chivalry and old-fashioned manners was something she had always loved about him. He took both of her hands in his and held her to him as they stood on the sidewalk, neither wanting to part just yet.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us? I can wait for you to pick up some clothes – we've got time." Charles asked softly.

No, she wasn't sure – she missed him already and he hadn't even left yet, but she knew it was important for the girls to have some time with him. She smiled warmly at him, "I'm sure – the girls will like having you all to themselves, and I think Maggie's forgotten what I look like!"

Charles brushed a tendril of hair gently off her face then took her hand again, "The girls love you. And I'm pretty sure no-one could ever forget what you look like." Liza's heart melted as he leaned down and kissed her softly. "So I'll see you in the morning then?"

"You will" she replied, smiling warmly at him. Her smile faltered however and she jumped back quickly, dropping Charles's hands as she noticed Josh walking towards them. Charles turned around to see what had caused her jumpiness and she felt immediately guilty when he sighed and dropped his gaze. She mentally slapped herself for her reaction – her and Josh had been split up for a long time and she and Charles weren't doing anything wrong.

Josh didn't look too thrilled as he stopped in front of them and the looks he was giving Charles weren't exactly friendly. This wasn't going to be good.

"Josh, hey" she greeted him, smiling awkwardly.

Josh stopped glaring daggers at Charles and glanced at her, "Hey".

"You remember Charles?" she added, realising it was a stupid thing to say as soon as it came out of her mouth, but she was trying desperately to fill the awkward silence.

"How could I forget" Josh deadpanned, "How's your jaw?" he added, smirking at Charles.

Liza rolled her eyes at his cheap dig. Before she had chance to reply though, Charles beat her to it.

"My jaw's just fine."

Josh seemed to be expecting him to come back with his own retort, but when he realised Charles wasn't going to engage in a war of words he turned back to Liza. "So, you two are still together then? I'm surprised to see you in broad daylight. You should be careful – someone might see you."

Liza wanted to tell Josh that yes, they were still together, and they were happy. She wanted to say that she didn't care who saw them because everything was out in the open now, and she wanted him to be happy for her. But when she opened her mouth to say that, no sound came out, and she dropped her gaze. She didn't miss the look of disappointment on Charles's face though at her lack of response.

"We are still together" Charles answered for her, "And everyone knows about us now, so we're free to be together during the day – and the night."

Liza saw Josh's jaw clench at Charles's subtle reference to the fact that they were sleeping together. "Well, good luck with that." And with that he shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and stepped around them, continuing on his way without another word.

Liza glanced at his retreating form, annoyed at his attitude, and then looked up at Charles. The hurt was clearly written in his eyes and she felt terrible that she'd made him feel that way. "Charles, I-"

"I should go" Charles cut her off, "I need to pick up the girls".

Liza felt even worse now – she knew he was early and had some time before he had to leave, he'd said so himself. He just wanted to get away from her. "Okay" she agreed reluctantly, "I'll see you in the morning?" She really hoped he still wanted to see her tomorrow.

"Yeah" he replied quietly. He gave her a small smile but it didn't quite make it to his eyes. "Goodbye Liza."

She wanted him to kiss her, so she would know that they were alright, but he didn't. "Goodbye Charles" she choked out. He got back in the car and she felt a lump forming in her throat as she watched it drive off. He didn't wave or look back, and her phone didn't buzz with an 'I miss you already' text. She'd hurt him, and she hated herself for it. This was all her fault.

* * *

Maggie frowned at her as she walked in the door and dropped her bag on the couch. "What's wrong with you? You usually can't wipe the smile off your face after a couple of nights with Mr Darcy."

Liza groaned as she flopped down on the couch next to Maggie and rested her head on her shoulder. "Yeah well I think I might have just messed that up. I'm an idiot."

Maggie turned and gently pushed her back up so she could see her face. "What did you do?"

Liza sighed, "It's more what I didn't do." Maggie looked at her encouragingly, waiting for her to continue. She sighed again, "We bumped into Josh outside when Charles was dropping me off."

"Ohhh" Maggie replied, making a face. "So did Charles get all jealous?"

"No, Charles was fine. Josh was the one being all snide and making digs about Charles's jaw and how we should be careful that someone didn't see us, making out like what we were doing was wrong." As Liza recalled the memory she became more and more annoyed with Josh and his attitude.

"Yeah that's kind of a douche-y move but I guess he's still sore about how you and him ended. So did you put him straight?"

Liza groaned in frustration and ran her hands over her face. "No! And that's the problem! I wanted to, but I couldn't get the words out."

Maggie looked at her sympathetically, "Why couldn't you get the words out?"

Liza threw her hands up in exasperation, "I don't know, I mean I guess I still feel guilty for hurting him, and I don't want to hurt him any more than I already have."

Maggie squeezed her hand in support, "Liza, you guys broke up like a year ago – you need to let that go, and so does he. People break up all the time, but they move on – it's not a big deal."

"I know. I know – you're right. And it's not like he hasn't been with other women since me. He married one of them and has a baby on the way – if that's not moving on then I don't know what is!"

Maggie gave her a small smile, "Girl, you don't need to convince me – I've been trying to get you to stop being a martyr ever since you broke up! You need to have it out with him, because the dynamic between the two of you at the moment, isn't healthy."

"I know, and I will. By trying to avoid hurting Josh, I've ended up hurting Charles – and that's not fair." Liza sighed sadly, "You didn't see the look on Charles's face when I didn't stick up for us Mags – it was like I'd reached into his chest and yanked out his heart. I hate that I've hurt him."

"You've really got it bad for him", Maggie replied – a statement rather than a question. "I've never seen you like this before."

"I've never been like this before" Liza sighed, a small smile gracing her face as flashes of her and Charles together flitted through her mind. "We just 'fit' in a way I've never experienced before. I love him Mags, and he's the first guy I've been with that I can really picture myself growing old with."

Maggie smiled proudly at her, "Then you need to tell him that. Look, I'm no expert on guys, but he waited for you for almost two years, he's handed over the running of his company to you – because lets face it he's trusting you rather than Kelsey, and he's told everyone that you're together, despite the complications that brought him – I'd say he feels the same way."

Liza swallowed and felt her eyes stinging, "But what if I've just messed it all up. He couldn't get away quick enough."

Maggie waved her hand in dismissal, "He's probably just gone to lick his wounds. When you go over there and do whatever it is you do that puts that glint in his eye, he'll be fine."

Liza smiled fondly at her friend and her attempt to cheer her up. "I hope you're right."

"I'm always right" Maggie smirked, "You need to bring him round some time too – I need to spend some more time with the guy who's stolen my roommate and who puts that big goofy grin on her face."

* * *

Her conversation with Maggie had comforted her somewhat, but she still couldn't get the hurt look on Charles's face out of her head. Liza picked up her phone and couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment that there weren't any messages waiting for her. She typed out a text to Charles: _"I'm sorry about earlier. Hope you're having a good time with the girls. I love you. L x'._ She watched it send and when the three dots didn't appear she shoved it in her jeans pocket with a sigh and then headed out to do something she should have done months ago.

She pressed the buzzer repeatedly until Kelsey buzzed her up. The look on her face when she walked in the door must have told Kelsey that this wasn't a social call.

"I'll erm leave you two to it" Kelsey said awkwardly as she looked between her and Josh, before retreating to her room.

Josh was sat at the breakfast bar and looked up at her as she came and stood next to him. "Have you got tired of sneaking around with Charles already?"

Liza glared at him. "No, actually I haven't. And we're not sneaking around – everything's out in the open now. And for the record, the way you were earlier was out of order."

Josh scoffed and downed the rest of the beer that he was holding. "I think I have a right to be a little annoyed, don't you?"

Liza looked at him incredulously and it resonated with her that whilst she had loved him and he'd been good for her after her divorce, it would never have worked between the two of them – they were just too different. She was done letting him make her feel guilty. "No, I don't - not anymore. Josh, we broke up a year ago. You've been married since then, and you have a baby on the way - with your wife. It shouldn't matter to you who I'm in a relationship with." Liza paused and held his gaze as she said what she should have said to him in the morning, "I am in a relationship with Charles, and it's serious – I love him. I want you to be happy for me."

Josh clenched his jaw and shoved the empty bottle away from him. "How can I be happy that you're with the guy that broke us up?"

Liza sighed, "Charles didn't break us up. Even if I didn't know that he existed, we would have broken up anyway. It would never have worked between us - we want different things."

Josh looked down at the table and she could tell he knew this was true, even if he didn't want to admit it.

Liza felt a weight lifted off her shoulders as she shed the veil of guilt she'd been carrying around with her in regards to Josh, and finally stood up for herself. "I want to be in your life Josh – I want to be your friend. But you need to accept that Charles is a big part of my life, otherwise this can't work. Can you do that?"

Josh looked up at her and sighed, "I don't know."

"Then let me know when you do."

* * *

Liza felt a mixture of relief, annoyance and disappointment as she made her way home - relief that she'd finally said what needed to be said and that she'd stopped allowing herself to feel guilty, and annoyance and disappointment that Josh was still so hung up on the past and so reluctant to move forward.

She felt a buzz of excitement when she pulled her phone out of her pocket and saw that there was a message from Charles. She deflated somewhat however when she read it: _'The girls are having a good time. They said to say hi. C"._ It wasn't a bad message, but she knew him well enough to know that what he hadn't said, told her far more. He hadn't said how he was doing, which told her that he was still upset, and the lack of a kiss at the end of the text stung more than she would have thought it would. She hated herself for being so stupid and for giving him reason to doubt her feelings for him. She had to make it up to him and show him that she was all in, but she couldn't do that over text. She decided to continue with their little tradition of sending literary quotes and typed out a Hemingway that she felt was fitting and hoped would make him smile:

' _And you'll always love me won't you?_

 _Yes._

 _And the rain won't make any difference?_

 _No"_

It was her way of saying sorry and that she knew she'd hurt him, but that she hoped he'd forgive her and still love her anyway.

When he didn't reply, it had taken every bit of self-control she possessed not to call him. She wanted to give him time with the girls, and she didn't want to pester him if he needed some space, but not hearing from him was driving her crazy. It wasn't until she was lay in bed later that night, staring at the ceiling, that she got a response. When her phone vibrated on her nightstand she almost knocked it on the floor in her haste to get to it. Her eyes became misty as she read his message:

' _I am so in love with you that there isn't anything else'._

He'd quoted 'A Farewell to Arms', just like she had earlier. The quote he'd chosen told her that he loved her, but it also told her that he was scared that he was in it alone. She couldn't let him think that. _'I feel the same way about you. x'_ she texted back.

The three dots appeared. _'Do you?'_

Her heart clenched, and she kicked herself for making him feel that way. _'Yes! Charles, I've loved you for a very long time. Can I still come round in the morning? x'_

' _Liza, even when I'm angry or upset with you, I always want to see you. We need to talk though.'_

' _I know, and I'm so sorry about earlier. We'll talk in the morning. Goodnight Charles x'_

' _Goodnight Liza x'._ She smiled at the return of the kiss at the end of his text. She loved him so much and she'd make it up to him and show him that he was the one she wanted to be with – him and only him.

* * *

As she stood on the stoop of Charles's townhouse the following morning, Liza debated whether she should knock, after what had happened yesterday, or if she should just use her key. She thought he'd probably be more hurt if she didn't use the key though after he'd given it to her. She took a deep breath for courage, knowing that this was going to be an important conversation, then let herself in. Charles must have heard the door click, as he emerged from the kitchen to meet her in the lounge. He was wearing a black sweater and black jeans, and even though things were a bit awkward between them at the moment, she didn't fail to notice how good he looked. Her mouth went a little dry at the sight of him. She wandered, with a glimmer of pride, if he'd worn that for her as he knew she had a thing for him in black.

"Hi" he greeted softly.

"Hey" she replied, "I missed you last night." And she really had – she found it hard to fall asleep without him next to her now.

He nodded shyly and gave her a small smile. "Would you like a coffee?"

"Erm yeah, that would be nice – thank you."

"Okay. I'll be right back." He gestured for her to have a seat and then disappeared back into the kitchen. Liza smiled at the fact that he didn't need to ask how she took her coffee, because he already knew – he'd brought her coffee in bed countless times in the mornings when she'd stayed over, so he knew exactly how she liked it.

As she sat down on the couch she saw that Charles had left his phone on the coffee table. She pulled out her phone from her bag and quickly sent a text. Charles came back in and handed her her drink and she felt a jolt of electricity as their fingers brushed. When she caught his eye she knew he'd felt it too.

"Thank you" she said warmly. He sat down in the seat across from her and she was a bit disappointed he didn't sit next to her, but it was understandable after yesterday. "Where are the girls?"

"Pauline has them – she's taking them to see her sister. I thought it would be good for us to have some time alone to talk."

"Right"

They looked at each other and then both began speaking at the same time. "About yesterday-" "I need to know-". They smiled shyly at each other before Charles added, "You first."

Liza put her coffee down and leaned forward in her seat so she was closer to him. "I'm so sorry about yesterday – I was an idiot. I should have stood up for our relationship when Josh was trying to demean it."

"But you didn't" Charles replied, his voice tinged with sadness.

Liza sighed, "No, I didn't – and I regret that so much. I've always felt guilty about how Josh saw us in the Hamptons and the fact that I hurt him, and I guess part of me felt like I deserved whatever he threw at me. So that's why I sometimes haven't stood up to him. But in not standing up for myself I also didn't stand up for you, and hurting you was something I never wanted to do. I spoke to Josh and told him he was out of order. I also told him that you're a part of my life and that if he wants us to be friends then he needs to accept that."

Charles didn't say anything for a few moments as he took in everything she'd just said. He was fidgeting with his fingers, like he was nervous about what he was about to say. "Liza, I don't want you to be with me just because you can't be with Josh. I don't want to be a consolation prize."

His words hit her right in the heart and the pain and uncertainty in his eyes made her want to cry. She leaned forward and took his hands in hers, grateful that he didn't pull away. "Charles you are not a consolation prize! I love you – so much. These past six months with you have been incredible. I love Josh, but only as a friend. I don't want to be with him – I want to be with you. I've wanted to be with you for as long as I can remember."

Liza saw a small smile tug at his lips as she repeated his words back to him that he'd said to her by the fountain in Bryant Park. The look in his eyes was more hopeful than sad now, and taking this as progress she got up and sat down next to him. She interlaced her fingers with his and held his hand as she continued. "Do you remember that night at the opera when we bumped into each other?"

Charles nodded and smiled fondly as he recalled the memory. "I do. I remember zipping up your dress."

A tingle ran down her spine as she remembered the feel of his fingers on the bare skin of her back as he slowly zipped up her dress. "So do I. You have no idea how much I wanted to be with you that night."

Charles grinned, appreciating her words and the boost to his male pride. He tentatively leaned down and brushed her lips with his. She'd missed this – she'd missed him, and she felt like she was home again. "Are we okay?" she asked softly as she rested her forehead on his.

He smiled warmly at her as he tenderly stroked her cheek with his hand. "We're okay."

As he manoeuvred her so she was sat in his lap, she took solace in the comfort of being in his arms. Liza caught sight of his phone out of the corner of her eye and leaned forward to pick it up, remembering something. "Your phone went off while you were in the kitchen" she told him as she handed it to him.

Charles took it and placed it on the pillow beside him with disinterest. "Whatever it is can wait" he replied, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

Liza looked up at him, "But it might be important." He looked at her curiously. "You should check it" she persisted.

"Okaay" he replied, a bemused smile on his face as he picked his phone up and pressed the home button. Her heart clenched when she saw that his screensaver was a photo of the two of them from when they went to the Hamptons for the weekend. After their little walk along the beach, and subsequent nighttime adventure in the sea, he'd taken a bunch of selfies of them as they giggled together, still on a high from what they'd just done. In this one she has her arms around his neck and the biggest grin on her face as she looks up at him, and he has one arm protectively wrapped around her waist and is looking at her wondrously like she's his whole world. The happiness in that photo is palpable, and she made a mental note to get him to send it to her.

"I have a text from you." Liza had to fight to keep a straight face at the confused look on his face. His expression changed though from confusion, to shock, and then hope as he read her message aloud. _"I didn't want to kiss you goodbye – that was the trouble – I wanted to kiss you goodnight."_

She'd thought that Hemingway quote was perfect for them, and a perfect way to tell him how she felt. She smiled as he realised the meaning behind the quote too. "Does this mean…you want to…" he stuttered.

Liza giggled at his loss of words and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Yes, it does. I want to kiss you goodnight – every night. And I want to wake up with you in the morning – every morning. I want to move in with you – if you still want me to."

The look of pure joy on Charles's face was one she would remember forever. "You do?"

"I do."

"And you're not just saying that because of what happened yesterday?"

Liza smiled warmly at him and held his face in her hands. "No" she assured him resolutely. "I love you, and I want to spend every day with you."

He laughed happily and she joined in as he tightened his arms around her and lay her down on the couch so he was on top of her. "Of course I still want you to! I think this calls for a celebration don't you?" He murmured, his lips hovering over hers.

Liza beamed at him, "I think so."

"And by the way, I missed you last night too" he added, before closing the distance between them. And as they lost themselves in each other, in a way that only they could, Liza knew she had made the right decision – because home to her was wherever Charles was.


	7. Margaritas

AN: Firstly, thank you so much for your amazing reviews for the last chapter – I'm so glad you enjoyed it :) Also, thank you for the good luck wishes!

I've managed to get this chapter written in between lectures and it's based on requests to see Charles mixing with Liza's circle of friends (something I would also like to see in S6!). ...In this one, as with the finale, a lot happens towards the end ;) …so I hope you like it and please drop me a review to let me know what you think!

* * *

CHARLES

As he looked around his bedroom at the stacks of clothes that he'd removed from his now empty closet, Charles couldn't help but smile at the reason for the ordered chaos. Liza was moving in at the end of the week, and he couldn't wait. He was moving the things from one of the closets in his room into the spare room, so that Liza had space for her things. He could have given her the spare room for her things, but he wanted her to feel like this was her room too – plus her clothes had already taken over his dresser and half of his other closet in here anyway! A tingle ran down his spine at the thought that this was no longer just his room, but 'their room'. He'd wanted this from the moment they'd got together, and even before then when he'd been longing for her from afar, and now he was finally getting his wish.

Charles had spoken to the girls about the possibility of Liza moving in before he'd even mentioned it to Liza, knowing that that was where he wanted to take things with her. He didn't want to bring someone else into their house if they weren't ready for it, but he needn't have worried because the girls' faces lit up when he asked them what they thought about Liza moving in. They loved Liza and they couldn't hide their excitement at the thought of having her around every day to play with their Polly Pockets and make pancakes with them.

And so here he was, taking a leap and opening his heart and his home to the woman who'd captured said heart the moment they'd met, and who he hadn't been able to stop thinking about ever since. He chuckled fondly as he picked up a pile of clothes and carried them to the spare room next door. Liza was unlike any other woman he'd ever met in so many ways, and he loved her so much because of that, but there was one way in which she was very similar to other women – she had a lot of stuff, so it was a good thing he had a big house! He wouldn't have it any other way though – he loved seeing her things interspersed with his around the house, because it reminded him that this was no longer a dream, but his reality now.

Liza was spending the day with Caitlin in the city and then she was going to meet him shortly at her apartment to help her pack and then bring some boxes over to the house. She'd sent him a selfie earlier of the two of them, grinning widely outside the Nederlander Theatre after watching Pretty Woman The Musical. The bond between them was obvious and he loved what a great mom she was.

When he'd successfully transferred the contents of his closet to the spare room and restored some order to 'their' bedroom, he took a photo and sent it to Liza, complete with a trusty Fitzgerald quote: _'I can't think of anything but nights with you'._ She texted back a simple _'Me neither. L X'_ followed by a heart emoji, and he couldn't control the smile that took over his whole face. He checked his watch and then grabbed his jacket and keys and headed over to Liza's, eager to see her.

As Charles stood on the stoop and pressed the buzzer for Liza's apartment, his phone vibrated in his pocket and he smiled when he pulled it out to find a text from her. _'Caitlin's having boy problems and needs to vent so I may be a little late getting back. Sorry! L X'._ He chuckled as he read it, realising that he had all of this to come with his girls.

' _Don't worry about it – take as long as you need and tell Caitlin I said Hi. C X'_

' _Will do. I love you. L X'_

' _I love you too. C X'_

Charles grinned at their exchange – he could listen to her say those three little words to him all day and never tire of hearing them. He jumped slightly at hearing Maggie's voice over the intercom, having been distracted by Liza's texts. "Erm hi, it's Charles" he replied, feeling a little awkward. He'd met Maggie a few times, but never on his own. Given that she'd just buzzed him up though there was no escaping that now. He knew how much Maggie meant to Liza and he really wanted her to like him and be happy for them, and that made him nervous. It meant a lot to him that Liza's friends and family accepted him.

Taking a deep breath for courage he made his way up the stairs and put on a confident smile, even though he didn't feel confident, as he greeted Maggie. "Hi, it's nice to see you again" he said, shaking her hand.

Maggie smiled, "You too."

"I was supposed to be meeting Liza but she's running a little late. It seems Caitlin's having boy problems and needs her mother's counsel" Charles added, feeling the need to explain why he'd turned up on her doorstep when Liza wasn't there.

Maggie chuckled, "Yeah that sounds like Caitlin. You're welcome to come in and join us while you wait."

"Us?" Charles asked as he followed Maggie into the apartment. His question was answered for him when he saw a young woman, probably around Kelsey's age, sitting on the couch. From Liza's description he was pretty sure this was Lauren.

Maggie confirmed his guess. "Yeah, me and Lauren are having a little afternoon cocktail party."

"Oh, well erm I wouldn't want to intrude" he replied awkwardly. He was normally a fairly confident person when meeting new people, but these people were Liza's friends and their opinions of him mattered to him a lot.

"You're not intruding – the more the merrier!" Lauren stood up and waved him off with a smile. "I'm Lauren" she added and shook his hand.

"Charles. It's nice to meet you."

"I kind of feel like I already know you" Lauren added.

"You do?" Charles asked dubiously. He knew women liked to share things and he wandered what Liza had told her about him.

"Yeah, it's nice to meet the man behind page 58."

Charles was pretty sure his face turned beet red. As successful as Marriage Vacation had been for the company, it was times like this he really wished that book had never been written, let alone published. "I…erm" he stuttered.

Maggie saved him by offering him a drink. "Margarita?"

"Thank you." Charles gratefully accepted it and took a gulp to try and ease some of his embarrassment.

The three of them sat down and he felt like he was about to be interviewed for a really important job. "You'll have to excuse her – she doesn't have a filter between her brain and her mouth" Maggie told him jokingly.

Lauren looked at her unconcerned, "What? We're all friends here. I'm the one that got empiriconda down remember?"

Charles choked on his drink, his face turning an even darker shade of red as that repressed embarrassing memory surfaced.

"From the Internet" Maggie clarified. "Here, you look like you need another one" she added, leaning over and topping up his drink.

"Thanks" Charles coughed.

"Yeah, we're already half drunk – you need to catch up" Lauren added, pouring herself another drink too.

Charles chuckled – she reminded him a lot of Kelsey and she was exactly as Liza had described her. He liked her though, even if she had seen and read far too much about him! "So Lauren, Liza tells me you work in PR?" Charles asked, wanting desperately to change the topic of conversation from him.

Lauren grinned proudly, clearly happy for the opportunity to talk about herself. "I do. I worked for Hector and Dorf for a couple of years – I'm the reason they're on the map by the way. They weren't even on Instagram when they met me and they didn't even know what a hashtag was. But half a million followers later they're killing it - thanks to me. They didn't appreciate my brilliance though, so I went freelance and started my own company."

"Wow – that's impressive" Charles replied. And he was impressed – she was clearly very intelligent and hard working. Lauren looked pleased at the compliment. "You know I may have a need for your services soon – I have a couple of ventures that I'm starting that could use your promotion expertise."

Lauren whipped out a business card from somewhere and handed it to him. "Heller Good PR, at your service. Call me."

Charles smiled and put the card in his pocket. "I will do."

"So what are these new ventures?" Maggie asked.

"I would tell you, but I haven't told Liza yet and I kinda wanted her to be the first to know." Charles replied. Maggie looked thoughtful as she smiled and he was pretty sure she approved of his answer.

"I can see why Maggie calls you Mr Darcy" Lauren added, pouring herself another drink. He hadn't even noticed her finish the last one, and he was pretty sure she was more than just half way drunk.

Charles turned to Maggie. "Mr Darcy?" He asked amusedly.

Maggie shrugged and smiled, not in the least bit embarrassed. "I thought it was fitting. Plus you're both nerdy and into books."

Charles chuckled and they laughed together. His nervousness from earlier had disappeared, which could in part be due to the alcohol, but he was having a good time and he could see himself spending more time with these two.

"Ooh you know what, we should play cards – drunk poker is always fun." Lauren exclaimed randomly. She stumbled as she got up and disappeared into Maggie's bedroom, presumably to retrieve some playing cards.

Maggie looked over at him and smiled, "I guess I don't need to give you the 'if you hurt her, I'll hurt you' talk. Because you know I'm half Italian."

Charles smiled warmly at her and shook his head, which made it feel a little fuzzy. "No, you don't. I love Liza and I will do everything in my power not to hurt her."

"Good. I know how crazy she is about you, so I'm happy for you both."

They smiled at each other and a mutual respect passed between them. Charles could really see himself being friends with Maggie.

"Why have we stopped drinking?" Lauren asked as she plopped back down on the couch and dropped a pack of playing cards and poker chips onto the coffee table before picking up the jug of margaritas and refilling all of their glasses.

Charles laughed and picked up what was his third, or maybe fourth margarita – he couldn't remember. He pulled out his phone and smiled as he typed out a text to Liza, before joining Maggie and Lauren in a game of drunk poker.

* * *

LIZA

Liza hugged Caitlin goodbye and waved her off as she dropped her at the coach station so she could head back to college. She'd spent the past two hours trying to educate her daughter about how boys her age were idiots who were generally lacking in maturity and common sense, and how any boy who couldn't see how amazing she was, wasn't worth her time. She hoped at least some of it had gone in.

Getting back into her cab she gave the guy her address. She smiled when she thought about how Charles's address would soon be her home – their home. The thought of going to sleep every night with Charles and waking up with him every morning was just amazing. Every night they spent apart she would miss him – he was it for her, of that she had no doubt, and she was ready to take this next step in their relationship.

It was later than she'd planned but she was meeting Charles at her apartment and he was going to help her pack some of her things. She'd felt kind of bad when she'd texted him earlier to say she'd be running late because he'd already got to hers, so he'd be waiting around – she just hoped Maggie wasn't giving him the third degree! As she tapped her foot in impatience at the Manhattan traffic her phone buzzed and she smiled when she saw it was a text from Charles. The first line made her chuckle in amusement, but the quote he'd chosen, as always, made her heart melt.

' _Apparently I'm Mr Darcy, so here you go…_

 _You have bewitched me body and soul and I love, love, live yo'_

She was pretty sure 'live yo' was supposed to be 'love you' but she could forgive the typo – the sentiment was there!

When she eventually made it back to the apartment, as she unlocked the door she could hear laughter inside and what she was pretty sure was Lauren's voice. She couldn't help but laugh when she opened the door and took in the scene in front of her – Charles, Maggie and Lauren were engrossed in a lively game of poker, so much so that they hadn't noticed her come in yet. She figured the empty jug and cocktail glasses on the table were probably the reason for Charles's typos.

"Read 'em and weep Brooks – full house!" Lauren exclaimed proudly and lay her cards down on the table.

Charles frowned and looked in confusion between his cards and Lauren's – the alcohol was clearly slowing down his processing abilities. "Wait, that can't be right – I have the two of hearts, you can't have it as well." He leaned over, slightly unsteadily, and spread her cards out so he could see them, "That's the two of diamonds, not the two of hearts."

Lauren leaned forward and squinted at her cards, "Oh."

Maggie burst out laughing, clearly drunk too. "I think Mr Darcy wins!"

Liza smirked in amusement at the exchange. It was great to see Charles getting on so well with her friends and them accepting him into their circle. She decided to make her presence known and walked over to Charles and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Hey. So it looks like you've been having fun."

"You were late so we kept Charles entertained" Lauren supplied. "He's fun – we like him" she added enthusiastically. Liza smirked in amusement, pretty sure that Lauren had had the most to drink. Not that she needed it, but she was glad she had their approval.

Charles looked up at her with that beautiful smile of his that he reserved just for her, and her breath caught in her throat. His eyes were slightly glassy from the alcohol, and if she hadn't just witnessed the comical exchange or seen the empty glasses, those eyes of his would have told her that he was definitely drunk. "Hey" he greeted her happily, wrapping his arm around her waist as she sat down next to him on the couch. "I missed you" he added softly, his warm breath tickling her ear and sending a tingle down her spine.

"I missed you too. I'm sorry I'm late" she told him and placed her hand tenderly on his leg. "Although I'm not sure you're in a fit state to help with packing now anyway."

Charles laughed and it reminded her of their drunken conversation on Shelter Island about eating a stick of butter to stop you getting drunk. "I'm more than capable" he replied, trying to put on a serious face. Liza quirked her eyebrow in amusement which made him break out into a smile.

"Liza, forget packing – packing can wait. You should join us – you have a lot of catching up to do. I'm going to get more margaritas" Maggie told her, leaving no room for argument as she stood up and slightly unsteadily headed to the kitchen.

"Yeah and now you're here, Charles can tell us what this super secret new business venture of his is – he wouldn't tell us before because he wanted you to be the first to know" Lauren added.

Liza smiled warmly at Charles, who blushed, touched that he wanted to share things with her before anyone else. "I'm intrigued."

Charles looked at her with a hopeful smile on his face and she could tell he really wanted her to be proud of him. He didn't realise though that she'd be proud of him whatever he did, because she loved him. "Well there's two things" he told her softly, pausing before he continued, "The first is I'm writing a children's book."

Liza's eyes widened in surprise – she wasn't expecting that. But now that she thought about it, it made perfect sense – he was brilliant with kids and he knew literature better than anyone she knew. "Charles that's amazing – you'll be great at that!" she told him excitedly. Charles grinned proudly, clearly happy with her approval. "And what's the second thing?"

"I have a deal with Arrow to narrate some of the classics for audiobooks - they're calling it 'Bedtime Stories'. Quinn gave me the idea – apparently I have a voice women would like to listen to."

"I could see that" Lauren chimed in. Liza could see that as well – he definitely had a sexy voice, but she felt a twinge of jealousy that Quinn had insinuated that too. "Yeah you've definitely got a smooth, silky quality to your voice – kinda like melted chocolate."

Maggie chuckled, "You almost sound straight!"

Lauren grimaced, "Ew, take that back!."

Liza turned to Charles and played with the hair at the back of his neck, "I'd definitely pay to hear you read the classics."

"I'll read you a story any time you like, free of charge" he murmured huskily, seemingly forgetting that they weren't alone. She had to cross her legs because the look in his eyes was doing things to her.

"So who's this Quinn anyway? Do we need to have words with her about peeing on other people's property?" Lauren asked, oblivious to the eye sex she and Charles were having.

Charles turned to her, "She's the one who invested in the company."

"She has a bit of a thing for the owner too" Liza added.

"She does not have a thing for me."

"She does" "She does" she and Maggie said in tandem. Considering how attractive Charles was, he was totally oblivious to the attention women gave him.

Charles looked at her and smiled, "Well, like I said before – if it comes up, tell her that divorced moms from Jersey are more my style."

Liza's eyes widened and you could hear a pin drop in the silence that had descended over the room. Maggie's jaw had dropped and Lauren looked confused. Charles frowned and glanced at the three of them, and she watched as realisation dawned on him. "Oh."

Liza could see the cogs turning in Lauren's head. "Okay, my brain's a little fuzzy from all those margaritas, but I feel like you guys know something I don't…"

She glanced at Charles who looked at her apologetically, and then to Maggie who shrugged, basically saying 'you may as well tell her, everyone else knows anyway.' Liza sighed and decided to just bite the bullet, "When I met you I was lying about my age – I'm not 27, I'm 41."

Lauren laughed, thinking she was joking, and then looked at Maggie when no one joined in, then back at Liza. "Wait, you're serious?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry - I shouldn't have lied. But no one would hire a 40 year old assistant – so I told people I was 26."

Lauren leaned forward and squinted as she studied Liza's face, as if she would find some clues there. "You don't have a line in sight!"

"You're not mad?" Liza asked timidly.

"Mad, why would I be mad? I'm impressed! You need to give me some tips because I want to be able to pull that off when I'm 41!"

Liza chuckled at Lauren's response. "You're really not mad?"

Lauren waved her off, "Of course not. Age is just a number anyway – be however old you want to be!"

"I think this calls for celebratory margaritas" Maggie added and leaned forward to refill everyone's glasses.

Lauren picked up her glass and then paused when she realised something. "Wait, Charles said 'divorced moms'…you have a kid?"

Liza smiled, "I do. I have a daughter – Caitlin. She's in college."

Lauren thought about this for a few moments then spilled some of her drink in her enthusiasm as she had a lightbulb moment. "That girl you were with at the Inkburg reopening - that's your daughter?"

"Yeah that's Caitlin."

Lauren grinned proudly at her deductive skills. "You know it all makes sense now – the Wisconsin, the Olay Regenerist, the zero information about you on social media…"

"Wisconsin?" Charles asked.

"Don't ask."

* * *

As Lauren engaged Maggie in a lively discussion about all the clues there'd been over the past two years that she'd missed, Charles interlaced his fingers with hers and rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. "I'm sorry about Lauren" he apologised softly.

Liza leaned closer to him and murmured in his ear, "It's okay, you can make it up to me later"

Charles grinned, "You can count on it." Liza's insides liquified at the promise.

When Charles got up and excused himself to go to the bathroom, Liza stared hungrily at his tall, muscular frame until he was out of sight. Lauren leaned towards her, "You are a dark horse Liza Miller." She grinned mischievously as she continued, "So, did the empiriconda live up to expectations?"

"Lauren!" Liza exclaimed. Maggie just laughed.

"What? I'm curious!" Lauren defended and looked at her expectantly.

Liza glanced at the closed bathroom door and then smirked as memories flashed through her mind, "Let's just say expectations were exceeded."


	8. It's Good To Be Home

AN: Thank you as always for your wonderful reviews for the last chapter :) And thank you for getting me past 100 reviews! I'm so glad you thought I captured Lauren well – I haven't studied her quite as intently as I have Charles and Liza so I was worried about getting her right!

So here's the next chapter and it's them taking that big step so I hope you like it! I'd love for you to drop me a review and let me know what you think :)

Enjoy!

* * *

LIZA

"Are you ready for this?" Maggie smiled at Liza as she looked around at her now empty bedroom. This had been her home for the past two years and it was weird to see it without her books on the shelves or her clothes draped over the chair. She loved this apartment and she'd loved living with Maggie. But now, for only the second time in her life, she was taking a massive leap of faith and following her heart to share a home with a man. Her man, the man she'd fallen hopelessly and irrevocably in love with – Charles Brooks, who was downstairs right now putting the last of her things into his car.

"I am" Liza replied, smiling happily at her best friend. As nervous as she was about taking such a big step, she wanted this and it felt right.

Maggie squeezed her hand in a show of solidarity. "I'm gunna miss you."

Liza felt her throat tighten and her eyes mist up as she pulled Maggie into a tight hug, "I'm gunna miss you too. But I'll be round all the time and I'm not going far." As she stepped back she blinked away the tears that had started to form, "Thank you for everything you've done for me." Maggie waved her off but Liza continued, "Seriously Maggie, if it wasn't for you I don't know what I'd have done after the divorce. You saved me."

"It was nothing – you're my best friend. And you'd have done the same for me."

"I would. But I'll always be grateful for what you did. It was because of your crazy plan that I got my job at Empirical, and that I met Charles when I did."

Maggie smiled fondly, "I'm pretty sure you two would have met anyway."

Liza grinned, "Especially if Bob and Julia had anything to do with it."

They laughed and Maggie looked at her with a mixture of pride, happiness and sadness. "Seriously though, I'm happy for you. I never did like David – I always thought he was a bit of a douche and that you could do better. And I love Josh - he was good for you after the divorce, but he was never right for you long term. But Charles – he's a good man, and you're both as nerdy as each other! I've seen the way he looks at you, and you at him – I have a good feeling about you two."

"Thank you, that means a lot." Liza had known Maggie had never been David's biggest fan and it turned out her intuition was right, but knowing she was rooting for her and Charles really meant a lot to her.

Maggie wrapped her arm around Liza's shoulder, "Come on, let's get you to your Mr Darcy."

As they came back into the lounge, Charles smiled warmly at them from his seat at the breakfast bar. She hadn't realised he'd came back up. Liza went over to him and leaned into his chest as he made space for her between his legs. She wrapped her arms around his neck and played with the hair at the back of his head, "Hey, all done?"

Charles wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her to him, "Yeah, everything's packed. I erm didn't want to interrupt" he added, nodding towards her old bedroom.

Liza smiled affectionately at him – he was definitely the sweetest man she'd ever met. This was a big day for them but he knew how much Maggie meant to her and he wanted to give her some time with her friend. "Thank you".

Their eyes glistened with happiness as they smiled at each other, with looks that said 'I can't believe you're mine' and 'I can't wait to start my life with you'.

"You guys look like you're ready to strip each other naked any second" Maggie teased, "Just hold on 'til you get home!"

Charles blushed and dropped his gaze. Liza had always found his shyness endearing. She felt a rush of warmth run through her veins at the thought that 'home' was now the same place for both of them. Liza smiled and held her hand out to him, "Are you ready?"

Charles glanced at her hand then sighed happily as he looked back up and held her gaze, "I've been ready for a long time."

As he took her hand in his and they walked to the door, her heart did a little flip flop. In that moment she fell in love with him just a little bit more. Maggie followed them out into the hall and Liza could tell she was trying to hold it together. Charles seemed to sense this too because he stepped forward and hugged her gently. It was whispered but Liza was sure she heard him say "I'll look after her."

As he stepped back, Maggie smiled warmly at him. "I know you will." As Maggie turned her attention to her and pulled her into a tight hug, Liza lost her battle with fighting off the tears. It was the end of an era, but also the start of a new and exciting one. Maggie lost her own battle with the tears as she held Liza's arms in her hands and smiled at her. "Go on, get out of here. There's a lot of rooms in that Brownstone to christen!"

Liza chuckled as she shared a look with Charles, knowing they'd made a pretty good start on that already. She sighed in a mixture of happiness and nervous anticipation as she looked back at her friend. "Now you have the place to yourself, you could think about getting a new roommate – maybe Malkie?" she added teasingly.

Maggie smirked and rolled her eyes, "Maybe. Now go on – go be happy!"

With one last smile at Maggie, Liza took Charles's hand and they walked outside into the sunny New York afternoon to begin their new life together.

* * *

Charles opened the car door for her when they pulled up outside the townhouse and they walked hand in hand up the steps, grinning uncontrollably at each other like love-struck teenagers. Before opening the door to 'their' home, Charles cupped her face in his hand and leaned down to tenderly brush her lips with his. "Welcome home" he murmured softly.

Liza smiled warmly as he stroked her cheek with his thumb, then stepped over the threshold of her new home as he held the door open for her. Less than three seconds later she was met with the sounds of excited giggles and a stampede of little feet as Nicole and Bianca rushed over to them, trailed by their babysitter.

"We made you this Liza" Nicole declared happily, proudly holding out a handmade card, covered in glitter and shiny foil, and lovingly inscribed in their childish scrawl.

"Yeah and we made you some cookies too!" Bianca added excitedly.

Liza crouched down so she was at their height and took the card from Nicole. "Wow, girls that is so thoughtful – thank you!" She looked down at the card and a lump immediately formed in her throat as she read the words on the front: _'Welcome Home Liza'_ with a heart drawn underneath. It meant so much to her that the girls accepted her and were happy about her sharing their home.

"We wanted you to feel welcome" Nicole explained shyly.

Liza reached out and cupped her little face affectionately then smiled at them both, "Well I do, so thank you. I love the card – it's beautiful, and I'm gunna keep it forever."

The girls beamed at the compliment then looked excitedly at each other, "Let's go get the cookies!" Bianca decided, before both girls dashed back into the kitchen.

Liza stood back up and turning to Charles she saw he was giving her that look that always turned her insides to mush. She grinned back at him. "Did you have a hand in this?" she asked fondly, holding the card up.

"No, this was all them – they love you Liza" he assured her.

Liza's heart melted. If someone would have told her two years ago when she was bankrupt, homeless and had just filed for divorce, that she'd be this happy and this much in love, she would never have believed them. It was crazy how much her life had changed, for the better, in such a short space of time.

"But I did have a hand in this" Charles added as he pulled a gift wrapped box out of his jacket pocket and shyly held it out to her.

Liza's eyes widened in surprise as she recognised the iconic Tiffany & Co turquoise box and white bow. "Charles, you didn't need to buy me anything!"

"This is a big day for us Liza – I wanted to commemorate the occasion." Charles replied sincerely, his eyes shining with love.

Liza sighed happily. This man stood before her had no idea how amazing he was, and she loved him all the more for it. He was romance personified, without any conscious effort. "Thank you. You shouldn't have, but thank you."

Charles smiled happily, "Open it".

Liza returned his smile and delicately untied the bow. When she opened the lid she felt a lump forming in her throat again and her eyes misting up. Inside was a beautifully delicate silver charm bracelet, which held two charms. One was a key, which she knew signified her moving in, and the other was a silver heart, and when she picked it up she saw that on one side were their entwined initials and on the other was today's date. For the second time that day, Liza felt tears roll down her cheeks. She looked up at Charles and saw that he was watching her with nervous anticipation of her response.

"Are those happy tears?" he asked cautiously.

Liza chuckled happily and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down into a searing kiss. "Yes! Yes, they're happy tears! Charles I love it, and I love you."

Charles beamed and his happiness was palpable as he rested his forehead on hers and kissed her nose. "I love you too Liza – so much."

"Will you put it on for me?" she asked, holding it out to him.

"Of course" Charles replied, talking it from her and gently fixing it around her wrist. "I thought we could add more charms to it for other significant events we share in the future" he added as he caught her gaze.

A shiver ran down her spine at the look in his eyes and the thought of the significant events they could share. She wanted it, all of it – with him. "I'd like that." She smirked as she delicately ran her fingers over the date engraved on the heart, "It's a good job we didn't postpone moving 'til tomorrow."

Charles chuckled in amusement, "Yeah that would have been problematic."

They laughed and then turned and grinned as the girls came dashing back into the lounge, holding a plate of homemade cookies. Liza leaned down and made a show of examining the girls' efforts, before picking one and taking a bite. "Oh my gosh, these are the most amazing cookies ever!"

The girls giggled in delight at the compliment. After Charles paid the babysitter and walked her to the door, the four of them went out to the car and helped carry Liza's things into the house. It was touching to see the girls so eager to help and she busied herself making sure they weren't carrying anything too heavy. After they'd finished they sat down on the rug in the lounge, talking and laughing together as they polished off the entire tray of cookies. It didn't matter that eating all those cookies would ruin the girls' appetite for dinner or that there were crumbs all over the floor, because for all four of them it was a moment of pure happiness.

With their bellies full with cookies, none of them felt like doing anything energetic, so they spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in total lazy mode. They played board games (and let the girls win), watched a movie – not Frozen this time, which Charles seemed relieved about, but Despicable Me instead, and ordered in pizza. It was such a fun and carefree way to spend the day, and Liza couldn't have been happier.

When the girls had started to fall asleep on the couch from their carb overload, Charles had carried Bianca in his arms up to bed, trailed by a sleepy Nicole. Liza had offered to help but Charles had told her that tonight her only job was to put her feet up and relax, even though she'd humorously reminded him that that's all she'd been doing all day. She sighed contentedly as she followed Charles' instructions, reclining on the couch as she put on her reading glasses and browsed through his copy of The New York Times.

She looked over as she heard him coming down the stairs and caught his gaze. He smiled warmly at her, but his eyes shone with a hunger that made her skin tingle. She knew he had a thing for her wearing these glasses, and she'd be lying if she said she didn't make a point of wearing them more often around him, to elicit a reaction like this.

He couched down in front of her and drew featherlight circles on her arm with his finger, and she felt the sensation all the way down to her toes. "Mmmm, you know what those do to me" he murmured huskily, his gaze boring into her.

She swallowed, desire burning deep in her belly, as she watched his irises turn a deeper shade of green. "I know" she whispered.

Charles grinned, "They are very, very sexy." His fingers continued their torturously distracting caress down her torso, then over her folded legs, settling on her hip, making her gasp and her pulse race. "I think there's one more thing I need to do to welcome you to your new home" he added softly, the reverberations of his silky voice causing the hairs on her arms to stand on end.

"And what's that?" she murmured breathlessly. Her mind was going wild with images of what she knew he was talking about, but wanted to hear him say it.

The look he gave her could have melted her clothes right off, right there. She gasped in surprise as he lifted her effortlessly into his arms as he stood up. "Well, I'm going to carry you up our stairs to our bedroom, and make love to you, all night long, in our bed."

Liza's insides liquified at the prospect, and the emphasis he placed on 'our'.

"Keep those on" he whispered into her ear, his warm breath tickling her skin and sending tingles down her spine. Liza could only nod in response as he'd left her speechless. The look in his eyes as he grinned at her held a promise that tonight would definitely be a night to remember. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down into a searing kiss that left them both breathless. She made a mental note to never take those glasses off again.

They giggled happily as Charles carried her up their stairs, to their bedroom, and lay her down tenderly on their bed. He smiled reverently at her as he brushed a tendril of hair from her face, and in that moment she could see with absolute clarity the depth of feeling he had for her. She knew he loved her, but until that moment as she looked at him with the moonlight reflecting in his eyes, she hadn't realised quite how much. She hoped he could see she felt exactly the same way about him.

"Welcome home Liza" he murmured softly.

"It's good to be home" she managed to choke out, her emotions getting the better of her.

No more words were needed as their mouths found each other once more, and their bodies delighted in the familiar but indescribable ecstasy of having found their home.

As the hours ticked by and night turned to day, Charles made good on his promise, and made her feel very, very welcome.


	9. Right By Your Side

AN: I'm so sorry for the delay in posting this – I've been buried under a mountain of textbooks so I've had barely any time to write #StudentDoctorLife. Thank you for hanging in there though, and as always for your reviews on the last chapter :)

This chapter is based on Ashley's prompt so I hope I've done it justice and that it makes up for the delay :)I'd love to hear your thoughts so please drop me a review and let me know what you think!

Enjoy :)

* * *

LIZA

Liza brushed a strand of hair from her face as she studied her appearance in the floor length mirror in her bedroom. She'd gotten used now to thinking of it as 'her' bedroom too and not just 'Charles's room' – she'd been living with Charles for two months and had surprised herself with how quickly she'd settled in and felt at home. It felt so natural to be here - it was kind of like she always had been. She, Charles and the girls had settled into a beautiful domesticity that she hadn't realised she'd been missing all these years, until now. She loved it.

It wasn't just her private life that was going well right now, her career was also going from strength to strength. Tonight she was going to the annual New York Publishing Awards, where she had been nominated in the 'Rising Star' category. And so that was why she was stood there nervously, all dressed up with her hair styled in delicate waves and her make-up done. She'd never received an award for her work before - she doubted she'd win, but it was a huge honour even to be nominated at these awards.

A movement in the corner of the mirror caught her eye and she smiled as she saw Charles, dressed in full tuxedo, grinning at her as he leaned against the door frame with his hands casually in his pockets. He looked like he'd just stepped off the pages of GQ. As she turned and took in the full sight of him, her pulse rate sped up - she'd never met anyone who could pull off a suit quite like he could.

"You look beautiful Liza" he said softly, his eyes never leaving hers as he walked over to her.

Liza beamed at the compliment, "You don't scrub up too badly yourself."

Charles placed his hands gently on her hips, "I like this dress. How come I've never seen it before?"

Liza smiled ironically as she looked down at the white fringe dress she'd chosen. "You almost did" she told him. He gave her a confused look, so she elaborated, "You remember that time I was supposed to meet you at The Carlisle, but I didn't show up?"

Charles smiled sadly, "Yeah, I remember feeling really nervous sitting there waiting for you…and then feeling really stupid for being so disappointed when you didn't show up."

"I'm sorry." Liza felt a wave of guilt that she hadn't explained this to him a long time ago. "But the thing is, I did show up." Charles's eyes widened in surprise and confusion, so she rushed to continue, "I came to The Carlisle, but when I got in the door I saw you with Bob and Julia…so I panicked and left."

A look of realisation came over Charles's face, "So you did actually want to meet me that night?"

Liza smiled warmly at him, "I did. I really did. But my worlds hadn't collided then, so I couldn't." She took a step closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, "You were wearing a grey suit and a black shirt, and I remember thinking how hot you looked."

Charles grinned and slid his hands around to the small of her back and held her to him. "Is that right?" he murmured.

"Mmmhmm, and this is the dress I was wearing that night."

"Well I'm glad I finally got to see it." He stepped back so he could see it fully and took her hand as he looked at her reverently, "and if I had seen in it that night, I would have thought you looked just as beautiful."

"Thank you." Liza's heart swelled at his words. She didn't admit it to him, but that night she'd spent an uncharacteristically long time getting ready to meet him, and had emptied the entire contents of her closet onto her bed in search of a dress she though he would like. Of course, she'd been in denial about her reasoning for doing so back then, but it was nice to know he would have appreciated her efforts. Liza didn't know what would have happened if they had met up that night, but they were together now and that's all that mattered.

"Can you zip me up?" She turned and held her hair out of the way so Charles could get to the back of her dress.

"Of course." Charles torturously slowly pulled the zipper up, and the air was alight with electricity. She felt the heat of his hands all the way down to her bones, and her breath hitched as she caught his eye in the mirror. She knew they were both flashing back to the same moment, and the last time he'd zipped up her dress - the opera. His fingers had barely skimmed her skin then, but it was so unbelievably erotic and sensual. She'd never felt more turned on in her life (before that point), and she felt the memory of his touch all night.

Charles leaned down and tenderly kissed her neck, igniting a fire deep in her belly and causing a flurry of goose bumps to swathe her skin. He ran his hands lightly down her arms as he whispered huskily in her ear, "As much as I enjoyed helping you into this dress, I'm really looking forward to helping you out of it."

Liza opened her mouth to reply but the only sound that came out was an aroused sigh. She loved it when he was like this. He was the most well-mannered, chivalrous, romantic man she'd ever met, but he also had a primal side that only she got to see - and the combination was heady. Who would have thought that the man who's meeting she'd stumbled into all that time ago to deliver Diana her lunch and then proceeded to nerd out over her love of Achebe's trilogy with, would be the man she fell in love with, now lived with, and was having the best sex of her life with! Before her brain could snap out of it's lustful haze and formulate a response, he caught her eye in the mirror and gave her that smile of his – the one he reserved only for her and that made her insides turn to mush, before placing a kiss on the top of her head and telling her that he'd meet her downstairs.

She was half tempted to suggest they skip the awards and just get straight to him helping her out of her dress. As much as he didn't usually take much persuasion to engage in such activities, she knew he'd never let her skip the awards – he'd always believed in her abilities and he hadn't stopped talking about how proud he was of her for being nominated. She smiled fondly as she recalled how happy he'd been when she told him – she was proud of herself, but he was even more excited than she was. She was excited to go, even if she didn't win it was an achievement just to be recognised, and she wanted to share it with Charles. And then afterwards they could come home and have their own private celebration.

When she got downstairs the girls, clad in their pyjamas, were giggling with Charles by the door. They looked up when they heard her and smiled as they ran over to her. "Wow, Liza you look so pretty!" Nicole exclaimed, running her fingers over the fringe on her dress.

Bianca nodded enthusiastically, agreeing with her sister. "I think you should win!"

Liza smiled affectionately at them, "Thank you girls."

"Can you take pictures so we can see too?" Nicole asked.

"Yeah, can you?" Bianca pleaded, showing her missing front teeth as she smiled, which Liza found adorable.

Liza had long since fallen in love with Charles's daughters and found that she couldn't deny them anything – they were too cute. "I'm sure we can manage that."

The girls beamed and hugged her tightly before doing the same to Charles.

Charles smiled at them and ruffled their hair fondly, causing them to giggle. "Be good for the babysitter okay?"

"We will!" the girls replied in tandem.

Liza smiled at Charles as she took his offered arm and walked with him out into the crisp New York evening. He held the car door open for her, and after waving at the girls, who were standing in the bay window of the lounge waving enthusiastically at them, they climbed in together and headed off to the awards ceremony.

* * *

Liza had been to awards events before, but as she stepped out of the car and took in the grandeur of the building and the sheer volume of people, her stomach started to do little somersaults. On previous occasions she'd just been a guest, but this time she was actually a nominee and she suddenly felt rather nervous. When a photographer called out to them on the way in and asked for a picture, Charles sensed her nervousness. He wrapped his arm around her waist and whispered soothingly in her ear, "I know you're nervous, but this is your moment. Enjoy it - you've earned it. I'm so proud of you." She beamed at him, forgetting all about the flashbulbs going off around her - he always knew what to say to calm her down.

Inside there was a drinks reception before the awards ceremony, and Liza gratefully took two glasses of champagne from a circling waiter. She spotted Diana and Enzo amongst the crowd and she and Charles made their way over to them.

Diana sighed in relief when she saw them, "Liza, Charles, thank God you're finally here – I'm so sick of having to make inane small talk with these vultures and ass kissers!"

Liza chuckled at Diana's dramatic description, "Well, I'm glad you braved the vultures and ass kissers to be here tonight. You too Enzo."

Diana smiled proudly, "Are you kidding – my protégé is coming of age tonight. I wouldn't have missed it."

Liza felt a lump forming in her throat as Diana squeezed her hand. The irony of the 'coming of age' comment wasn't lost on her – Diana had surprised her with how accepting of her age reveal she'd been, and it was great knowing that she was in her corner supporting her. They'd actually become good friends – Diana confided in her more now and they'd gone for drinks together just last week. "Thank you" Liza replied sincerely, squeezing Diana's hand back.

Charles engaged Enzo in an animated discussion on the Yankees and Liza smiled – she knew Charles was trying to make him feel comfortable as he didn't really know anyone here other than Diana. Diana seemed equally pleased that her two worlds were mixing so well.

"You two seem really happy" Liza commented, seeing the way Diana was looking at Enzo.

Diana smiled and cocked her head towards Charles, "So do you two."

Liza returned her smile, "We are."

"I'm glad. It looks good on you – both of you."

Diana grabbed the last two drinks from the passing waiter's tray and handed one to her "To kicking ass in our forties." Liza laughed as they clinked glasses. Diana looked her up and down curiously, "Have I seen that dress before? It looks familiar."

Liza smirked, recalling the first night she wore this dress for the second time that night. "I was wearing it the night I helped carry you home after you got drunk with Kelsey."

"Ah yes, I woke up in my spanx with the hangover from hell. Fond memories."

Liza laughed, "Where is Kelsey?"

"She's here somewhere – last time I saw her she was having a heated discussion with Zane by the bar. I can't keep track of them."

"I'm not sure they can either – I can't decide if they're really good for each other or really bad."

Her conversation with Diana was interrupted when she heard the words 'nepotism' and 'sleeping her way to the top' from somewhere behind her and she knew they were talking about her. Her happy mood dropped instantly. Charles didn't seem to have heard as he was still caught up in debating the Yankee's performance this season with Enzo, but the murderous look on Diana's face told Liza that she'd definitely heard.

Diana strode over to the two gossiping women and plastered on a fake smile as she interrupted their conversation, "Hi, are you nominated for an award tonight?" Both women replied that they weren't and looked slightly confused about who Diana was and why she was talking to them. "Didn't think so" Diana added bluntly, "Oh, and by the way - jealousy is a really ugly look, especially in women of your…advancing years." The women's jaws dropped in shock but Diana didn't give them chance to reply before continuing, "Nice dress though. Green – it's a very appropriate colour for you."

Diana left them staring after her, mouths agape, as she came back over to Liza. "Ignore them, they're just jealous. The higher you climb, the thicker the skin you have to develop. Mine's like a rhino! Don't let it ruin your night." She squeezed her arm in encouragement and solidarity before heading to the bar to get some more drinks.

Liza appreciated Diana sticking up for her, she really did, but she couldn't deny those women's words stung - even if they were only said through jealousy. She hated the idea that anyone thought that she'd got here through anything other than hard work and talent. And she hated even more the idea that people thought badly of Charles or that he'd taken advantage of her. Nothing could be further from the truth and neither of them had done anything wrong. They'd fallen in love with each other, plain and simple, and it pissed her off so much when anyone tried to cheapen that.

She was lost in her thoughts and jumped when Charles came over and placed his hand on her elbow. He smiled and offered her his arm, "Are you ready to go in?" His expression changed to one of concern when he saw the look on her face. "What's wrong?" he asked, and the care and concern in his voice made her want to cry. He reached for her hand but she took a step back and dropped her gaze. "Liza, what's wrong?" Charles persisted, stepping forward and closing the gap she'd created.

Liza looked up at him and sighed sadly, "Charles, people are talking about us. They think I slept with you to get ahead, and they think you took advantage of a lowly assistant. You stepped down as publisher because people would have perceived it that way - I don't want anyone to think of you like that."

Charles's jaw clenched and he glared at a guy who happened to be looking in their direction. Liza wasn't sure if he was actually talking about them or not, but either way he was the recipient of Charles's wrath and quickly looked away. His expression softened as he turned back to her and he cupped her cheek with his hand, not letting her step away this time. "Liza, let them talk. I don't care what they think about me. I care what you think, and I care what the girls think - everyone else can go to hell" he told her firmly. She gave him a small smile - maybe he'd developed that thick skin Diana was talking about. "This is your night and I am so proud of you. Everyone you care about knows how amazing you are at your job and that you've earned this. Everyone else…they don't matter." He leaned down and placed a tender kiss on her lips, and the warm familiarity of his lips on hers melted her anxiety away. He was right, and so was Diana - these people's opinions don't matter. She and Charles loved each other and she'd earned her place here tonight on merit – and that was all that mattered. "So, are you ready to go in?" he asked again.

This time she didn't hesitate. She smiled warmly at him and took his arm, "Yeah, I am."

* * *

Sitting around the table waiting for the awards to begin, with Charles on one side, Diana on the other and Kelsey across from her, Liza smiled that these people who she respected so much and who had shared this journey with her had come out to support her tonight.

Charles placed his hand on her leg and smiled affectionately at her. She could see the pride in his eyes as she linked her fingers with his. She didn't care if the whole room was watching them, and when she glanced at Diana she received a nod of approval. As the awards got underway, Liza found herself having a fantastic time, the drama from earlier in the evening all but forgotten. She clapped for the nominees and laughed with her colleagues, all of whom she now regarded as friends, basking in having the original 'Team Empirical' all together again.

When it came time for her category, Liza felt her stomach start to somersault again. Charles rubbed soothing circles on her knee, which calmed her heart rate somewhat. There were five nominees including her, and each one had achieved some amazing things and seemed more than deserving of the award. So when the host paused for dramatic effect before reading the winner's name, she was ready to applaud a worthy peer and be gracious in defeat.

"…Liza Miller"

Liza blinked, sure she was imagining things - she couldn't possibly have won. But when she glanced around the table, Kelsey, Diana and Enzo were whooping and cheering in celebration and delight. Charles was grinning so widely at her she was sure his face must be hurting. He snapped her out of her stunned stupor when he pulled her into a tight hug and murmured happily in her ear, "Now everyone sees what I saw the first time I met you. You deserve this Liza."

Tears blurred her eyes as she pulled back and saw the happiness shining in his. A thought struck her though - he was clearly overjoyed, but he didn't seem surprised. "You knew, didn't you?"

Charles looked bashful, but not at all apologetic, "I may have had a tipoff." Liza chuckled as he stood up with her. He cupped her face with his hand and looked at her reverently, "Congratulations Liza. I love you. Now go on up there!"

He gently brushed a tear away that had escaped her eye and stepped aside to let her past. She mouthed 'Thank you' to him, feeling overwhelmed with emotion. She heard his cheers mixed with those of her friends as she walked up onto the stage.

Liza accepted the award from the host and shook his hand. When he stood back and left her in front of the microphone, under the bright lights and in front of all these people, she realised in horror that she was expected to make a speech. That really shouldn't have been such a shock to her considering she'd watched all the other winners give speeches, but she was still in shock from actually being stood up here. 'Crap' she thought - she really should have prepared for this, but she never expected to actually win. Public speaking was really not her thing, but she needed to say something as there were hundreds of eyes watching her expectantly. She looked over to her table and saw them all smiling encouragingly at her, and she decided to just speak from the heart.

Taking a deep breath she began, "Erm, wow I was not expecting this – as you can probably tell!" The audience laughed, "But thank you so much – it's such a huge honour to even be nominated, let alone win. And everyone who was nominated with me is more than worthy of standing up here too." Liza looked back over to her table and smiled, "There are however certain people who I'd like to say a special thank you to. Firstly, I'd like to thank Diana Trout - you took a chance on me and gave me my job at Empirical. You mentored me and pushed me, and I wouldn't be here tonight without you." Diana was usually stoic and didn't show her emotions, but Liza could see how much she appreciated her words. "And Kelsey Peters – you've been there since day one, and I'm so lucky to have been able to share this incredible Millennial journey with you." Kelsey grinned and Liza knew she understood the double meaning. Turning her attention to Charles she held his gaze and smiled warmly at him, "And last but definitely not least, I want to thank Charles Brooks. You are quite simply the most amazing man I have ever met. You always believed in me and encouraged me, and for that I will be forever grateful." Charles smiled at her and she could see the emotion glistening in his eyes. "When I started at Empirical I fell in love with publishing all over again, but I also fell in love with you. I never expected to find the man I'd want to spend the rest of my life with at work, but I did." She tore her gaze from Charles's and looked out across the audience, "I know some people might doubt us or our motives for being together, and if you do then you couldn't be more wrong. But…I don't care anymore, because I love him and that's all that matters." She turned back to her table again and saw them all watching her proudly. She raised her award in salute to them, "Thank you."

* * *

Walking back to her table she felt like she was floating on air and couldn't keep the smile face.

"Well you told them" Diana smirked, a mixture of pride and amusement in her voice. "I see that thick skin is already coming through." Liza chuckled. "Congratulations Liza" she added seriously.

Liza smiled warmly at her old boss, her mentor and her friend, "Thank you Diana."

Turning to Charles she saw that he hadn't stopped smiling, and it was infectious. "So, you want to spend the rest of your life with me?" he teased, his eyes shining with love.

Liza blushed furiously, remembering that she'd said that out loud - in front of hundreds of people. It was true - she couldn't imagine her life without him in it, but this was the first time she'd actually said it to him. "Erm, well…as long as you do too…I mean-"

Charles chuckled and kissed her quickly, effectively curtailing her rambling. "Liza, there's nothing I'd like more than to spend the rest of my life with you."

A tingle ran down her spine at the sincerity in his eyes and the implication of his words. The small smile he gave her was an unspoken promise between them for what their future could hold. She beamed at him and words weren't needed for her to know that they were imagining the same thing. The need to kiss him was overwhelming, and unable to wait a single second longer she leaned over and did just that.

* * *

The rest of the night went by in a flurry of laughter and more than a little alcohol. Liza's nerves and anticipation of the awards had been replaced with the joy of spending time with people who meant the world to her. As she looked around the table at her friends, colleagues and partner, smiling and talking animatedly together, she felt so lucky to be right there where she was. Her life had changed so dramatically over the past three years - for the better, and these people celebrating with her tonight, along with Maggie, had played a big part in that.

Liza clung onto Charles's arm as she precariously climbed into the Uber after they said goodbye to the others, the alcohol causing her balance skills to be somewhat inhibited. She giggled as Charles slid in next to her, still high on the adrenaline rush of the night. He grinned as he linked his fingers with hers and brought her hand up to his lips, kissing it tenderly. "It's been an amazing night. I'm so proud of you Liza."

Liza returned his smile – she'd lost count how many times she'd heard him say that tonight, but she'd never tire of hearing it. A rush of warmth flooded her veins at the way he was looking at her, "The night's not over yet."

Charles's irises darkened to a stormy emerald green as the sexual tension crackled around them in the back of the cab. The journey home was only ten minutes at that time of night, but it felt like an eternity as she impatiently waited to get Charles alone. When the driver finally dropped them off at the brownstone, she was all fingers and thumbs as she fumbled with the key in the lock. She blamed the distracting feeling of Charles kissing her neck and running his hands over her hips. After dropping the keys twice, she eventually managed to get the door open and they stumbled giggling into the hallway. They composed themselves enough to thank the babysitter and see her out, but the moment the door closed Liza found herself sandwiched between it and Charles's strong chest as his hands wound into her hair and his mouth fused with hers. The feeling was intoxicating and if it weren't for Charles holding her up she'd have melted into a puddle on the floor. She gasped as he kissed and nipped his way from her ear down to her collarbone.

"How about we continue this celebration upstairs? I think it's time I helped you out of that dress" Charles murmured huskily.

Liza's eyes were half lidded as he continued his torturous assault on her neck. She wrapped her arms around his neck and giggled as he scooped her into his arms, "Lead the way."


	10. A Christmas To Remember

**AN:** So it's been a while since I posted anything – placement and exams have been keeping me rather busy, so apologies for the delay! I wanted to get a little something out for my readers though in time for the holidays, so I hope you enjoy this festive CharLiza-ness!

Special thank you to merderluvr, Ashley, Lindalee159, BenoightLangson, St0ryTeller, Sheila Jindela, Kiwiflea and the guest reviewers for your wonderful comments on my last IMYA update :)

Also, to one of the guest reviewers on this fic - I've never seen Thoroughly Modern Millie so it must be a coincidence :)

As always, I love to hear your thoughts so please drop me a review :) Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

* * *

 **21** **st** **December 2019**

LIZA

Liza squinted as she precariously trudged along the sidewalk, trying in vein to keep the cascade of fresh falling snow out of her eyes. New York at Christmas time, especially in the snow, was a beautiful sight, but when you were weighed down with shopping bags and thus had no means of holding an umbrella, it wasn't quite so fun. She could have taken an Uber, but with the traffic at this time of day – and year, she'd opted for the subway – a decision she was beginning to regret. Liza sighed in relief as she reached her front door and dropped her bags onto the front step of the brownstone, happily stretching her sore arms. After rooting around in her purse she located her keys, but paused midway to putting them in the lock, a smile pulling at her lips as she pressed the buzzer instead.

Charles answered the door a few moments later and smiled warmly at her. "Did you forget your keys?"

Liza couldn't help but check him out – he was wearing a pair of fitted blue stonewashed jeans and a black button up. She'd only seen him a few hours earlier, but he'd evidently changed since then, and she had to say she was a fan of his outfit choice – he looked hot. To be honest though, he looked hot whatever he wore, and the year they'd spent together had done nothing to dampen her attraction to him – if anything it had just increased. Liza realised he'd asked her a question and snapped herself out of ogling him. "I did not" she replied, smiling as she held up her keys to emphasise her point. She giggled at Charles's confused expression. "Do you know what date it is today?" she added, and Charles smiled in understanding. "A year ago today I came home to find you on my doorstep, ringing the buzzer in the middle of a snowstorm. I thought I'd recreate the moment…just in reverse."

Charles chuckled fondly and stepped out onto the porch, his eyes never leaving hers as he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her to him. "I remember" he murmured softly. "I also remember doing this too" he added, before leaning down and capturing her lips with his. As it always did, his kiss sent a jolt of electricity down her spine and a heady rush of euphoria to her brain. No matter how many times they kissed, and they'd done it a lot over the past year, the excitement and passion it ignited always made it feel like the first time.

When they broke for air, Charles placed a tender kiss on her temple before taking her hand and leading her inside. He picked up her bags and put them by the stairs, then helped her out of her wet coat. "Did you get everything you need?"

Liza looked up at the man who had come to mean more to her than she'd ever thought possible and smiled, "Yeah, I did."

* * *

"You look beautiful."

Liza glanced up and caught sight of Charles in the mirror, leaning against the doorframe of their bedroom and smiling as he watched her smooth out some non-existent wrinkles in her dress. She turned and smiled happily at him, "Thank you. I could say the same to you." He'd added a black jacket to his earlier jeans and shirt ensemble, and he looked like he could have easily just waked off the cover of GQ magazine.

Charles grinned and took her hands in his as she walked over to meet him. "Are you ready to go? I've left Caitlin trying to herd the girls into the car."

Liza giggled at the thought of Caitlin running after two over-excited little girls on sugar highs. It did warm her heart though that her and Charles's respective daughters got on so well. Nicole and Bianca really looked up to Caitlin and loved spending time with her, and Caitlin adored the younger girls. Caitlin had been staying with them for the past week since college finished for the holidays, and it had been great to have all five of them under the same roof.

Tonight they were going to Bob and Julia's annual holiday party, just like they had done the year before. A lot had changed since last year though, and this time they were going together. Nicole and Bianca were also coming too, and as Caitlin had insisted on inviting David, this would be the first time he and Charles would meet. Technically they'd both been in the same room as each other last year, but technically she and Charles weren't yet together, and technically David didn't know about her feelings for Charles then. Now that David was fully aware of their relationship, that introduction was probably unavoidable. Having her past and present in the same vicinity hadn't gone down so well previously – Charles getting punched in the face by Josh was evidence of that, but she was pretty sure David would keep his fists to himself, and she would smile through the awkwardness for Caitlin's sake.

When they arrived at Bob and Julia's, Caitlin took the girls over to meet Rose. Liza smiled at the sight of Nicole beaming up at Caitlin, clearly feeling very happy and grown-up at getting to hang out with her cool 'older sister'. Charles wrapped his arm around her waist as they made their way into the lounge, where they were immediately pounced on by Bob and Julia.

"Oh my gosh, you two look adorable together!" Julia gushed, clapping her hands in delight.

"Charles, Liza - so glad you could come!" Bob greeted warmly, shaking Charles's hand enthusiastically before kissing Liza's cheek.

"I knew you'd be perfect for each other! Didn't I say they'd be perfect for each other Bob?!"

Liza smiled warmly at their infectious enthusiasm, "Thank you so much for inviting us - the house looks amazing!"

Julia beamed with pride at the compliment. "Let me get you both some drinks, and then I want to hear all about your new living arrangements!"

And with that, she and Bob scurried off into the kitchen. Liza smiled fondly at their retreating backs. "They're really flying the flag for us huh?!"

Charles chuckled, "They're good friends, and they've always been big fans of yours. I remember them repeatedly telling me, long before anything happened between us, that they knew a woman who'd be perfect for me. I brushed them off every time because, well, I was hung up on you - little did I know it was actually you they were talking about. Ironic huh!"

"I guess they knew even before we did" Liza replied, as she intertwined her fingers with his and held his hand.

Charles reached up and brushed a strand of hair from her face, "Oh, I knew a long time ago."

Liza smiled, his words touching her heart. A figure approaching them caught her eye though and she groaned. "Okay, you're about to meet someone who's probably not such a big fan of ours."

Charles kept a hold of her hand as he turned and came face-to-face with David. David stopped short and his jaw dropped slightly as he looked up at Charles. His reaction and the notable size difference between the two men was comical, but Liza refrained from laughing. "David, hi. Charles, this is David. David, Charles."

The two men shook hands. "It's nice to meet you" Charles greeted politely.

David looked intimidated but tried for bravado. "So, you're new boyfriend then?" Liza rolled her eyes.

Charles wasn't fazed in the slightest. "Not so new actually - we've been together for a year now" he replied, turning to look at her and giving her an award-winning smile.

David persisted, "A year's still pretty new, I mean if you compare it to how long I was married to her. How many years were we married again Liza?"

"Too many" Liza deadpanned, shooting him an unimpressed look. He promptly shut up.

"I've always believed that quality is more important than quantity" Charles added. 1-0 to Charles, Liza thought humourously.

Nicole then appeared next to Charles, wrapping her arm around his waist as she looked curiously up at David. Another little blonde head caught Liza's eye and she looked down to see Bianca also stood next to her. Bianca smiled up at her and took her hand.

"Are you Liza's ex-husband?" Nicole asked, staring directly at David.

David looked a little surprised at the bluntness of the question. "Erm, yes I am."

"Why did you get divorced?" Nicole added immediately as a follow-up.

Liza had to bite her lip at the 'deer caught in the headlights' expression on David's face. Part of her felt like she should rescue him, but the larger part wanted to high-five Nicole and watch David try and wriggle out of her question.

"Erm…well" he stuttered, looking to Liza for help. When he realised he wasn't going to get any he sighed, fumbling to form an answer, "…Sometimes grown-ups do things that they shouldn't do…"

Nicole narrowed her eyes at him, correctly interpreting his vague reply. "Did you cheat on Liza?"

Liza really had to fight hard to hold in her amusement. Nicole would definitely go far in life.

David coughed, clearly flustered, "erm…"

Nicole cut him off, taking his hesitation as an admission of guilt, and declaring simply, "It's a good thing she met my daddy then, because he would never cheat on her."

That girl would be getting extra Christmas presents.

Caitlin coming over saved David from any further embarrassment or personal questions. She smiled and gave Liza a look that she knew well, one that she'd perfected as a child – she wanted something.

"So Rose and her parents really want us to perform again like last year." And there it was.

"Oh, uh-uh – no way. I'm still not over the embarrassment from last time!"

"Oh come on Mom" Caitlin pleaded, tilting her head and giving her best resolve-breaking look. "You were great last year, and everyone loved it!"

"Yeah come on honey" David chimed in, draping his arm over her shoulder.

Liza felt Charles's grip on her hand tighten. She gave David a dirty look and shrugged his arm off, ignoring him as she turned back to Caitlin. "I know it's our little tradition, but do we have to do it so publicly?"

Caitlin pulled out the big guns and pouted, "Pleeeaase Mom?"

Liza sighed and rolled her eyes, knowing she wasn't going to win this. "Fine! But this is the last public performance!"

Caitlin squealed in excitement and hugged her, "Thanks Mom!"

David grinned, "I'll go and get the accordion from the car!" He smirked at Charles before scurrying off and Liza rolled her eyes at his juvenility, struggling to remember what she ever saw in him.

Liza turned back to Charles and took the scotch from his hand before downing it in one. "I need this more than you do."

Charles chuckled in amusement, "You'll be great, don't worry."

"I can't believe you're going to see me yodel again – it was mortifying enough the first time!"

Charles smiled warmly at her, "I thought it was very endearing. I'm looking forward to a repeat performance."

Liza groaned and dropped her head onto his chest, feeling his arms snake around her waist and hold her to him. "Are you sure I can't convince you to go up there instead of me?"

"I don't think Bob has enough scotch in the house to convince me to do that!"

Liza giggled and kissed him quickly, "Wish me luck!"

* * *

'I'm doing this for Caitlin. I'm doing this for Caitlin' Liza repeated in her head as she peered around the door at all the people gathered in the lounge. There seemed to be more than there was last year, and this time she knew that Charles was there. She wasn't quite sure which was more embarrassing: knowing he was there from the beginning, or having the shock of her life and noticing him mid-yodel. To be fair though, after everything they'd shared and done together over the past year, and considering he'd seen every inch of her body, seeing her yodel really was nothing.

Liza plastered on a smile as she followed Caitlin to the front of the room, but looked back towards the door when Caitlin started gesturing someone over. Her eyes widened in surprise when Nicole and Bianca ran over to them, beaming widely. She glanced up at Charles who looked equally as surprised as her.

"Caitlin's been teaching us to yodel all week!" Bianca explained.

Liza smiled at the girls then raised an eyebrow at her daughter, "So this wasn't such a spur of the moment idea after all, huh?!"

Caitlin just smirked, "It's too late to back out now Mom!"

As the accordion started to play, Nicole and Bianca enthusiastically copied Caitlin's moves and Liza smiled fondly at them. Seeing the happiness on all three girls' faces, she forgot about there being over 50 people watching her and just enjoyed the moment. She caught Charles's eye and saw nothing but love and pride shining in his eyes, and any embarrassment she had been feeling evaporated.

When Caitlin handed the girls a cameo yodel midway through, Liza beamed with pride herself. Taking Bianca's hand she threw herself into the rest of the performance, taking an exaggerated bow with the three girls at the end.

"Did you see us Daddy?!" Bianca asked excitedly as the girls ran up to Charles.

"We wanted it to be a surprise!" Nicole added.

Charles smiled affectionately at them, "I did, and I thought you yodelled beautifully."

The girls grinned proudly before running off to play with some of the other kids that were at the party. Charles took Liza's hands and pulled her closer to him, allowing her to feel the heat from his body. "Hey" he murmured softly.

"Hey" she replied, leaning into him.

"You were great." He leaned down so only she could hear him, and his warm breath in her ear sent a tingle down her spine. "Is it weird that I'm kind of turned on by the braids and the dirndl?"

Liza burst out laughing and wrapped her arms around his neck. "It's kinda weird" she told him amusedly.

Charles laughed with her and then his eyes darkened, "What can I say, you do things to me."

Liza swallowed, feeling herself heat up at the look in his eyes. She lowered her voice and held his gaze as she murmured, "Well, when we get home, I plan on doing many things to you."

Charles audibly gasped and Liza loved that she had such an effect on him. He managed to compose himself enough to whisper in her ear, "Only if you let me return the favour."

It was Liza's turn to gasp now. "I'd say that's a perfect way to mark one year since you turned up on my doorstep."

"I couldn't agree more."

* * *

 **Christmas Eve 2019**

CHARLES

Charles smiled fondly as Liza handed him a glass of wine and snuggled up next to him on the couch. The fire was roaring, the Christmas lights were twinkling, the snow was falling softly outside the window, and he had the woman he loved in his arms. It was perfect, and he couldn't remember a time when he'd felt happier or more content.

The girls were sleeping soundly upstairs, eagerly awaiting Christmas morning. He and Liza had helped them set out a plate of cookies and carrots for Santa and the reindeer, before settling them down with an enthusiastic reading of 'A Night Before Christmas'. Caitlin had left in the afternoon to spend Christmas with her Dad, as she had spent last year with Liza, but the five of them had gone out for brunch beforehand and he'd affectionately hugged her goodbye. He'd grown very fond of Liza's daughter and could see so much of Liza in her.

"To our first Christmas together" Charles toasted, clinking his glass with Liza's.

"To our first Christmas." Liza smiled affectionately, "Although we did see in the last Christmas together as well, albeit over the phone."

Charles grinned and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "We did. But it's so much better being with you in person" he replied, placing a tender kiss on her forehead.

Liza looked up at him, "It's been a good year." Even after all this time, that look in her eyes - the one that told him that the love he had for her, that he'd only ever dared to dream she would feel for him, was definitely reciprocated. And it never failed to make his heart beat a little faster.

"It's been the best year." His life had changed so much in the past 12 months, but he could honestly say that he'd never been happier. And a large part of that was due to the incredible woman who he'd stumbled upon in his office three years ago, engrossed in 'Look Homeward Angel', who'd come to mean more to him than he ever thought possible, and as she leaned her head on his chest he couldn't imagine his life without her.

Charles smiled as he glanced at the clock and saw that it was a few minutes past midnight. "Merry Christmas Liza" he murmured, softly kissing the top of her head.

Liza sat up and beamed excitedly at him. "Merry Christmas Charles!" She leaned in and kissed him quickly before going over to the Christmas tree and retrieving a neatly wrapped gift, complete with a large navy bow, from underneath it. Her eyes shone, and she smiled widely as she handed it to him. "I wanted to give you this while it was just us, before this place turns into Santa's workshop!"

Charles chuckled, knowing that was an accurate description of what the house would be like when the girls woke up and opened all of their presents. "Thank you" he told her sincerely, taking the gift from her outstretched hand. As he began to undo the bow, he smiled at her and saw her nervously biting her lip as she awaited his reaction.

He carefully removed the lid from the box and as he looked down at what was inside, he had to swallow the ball of emotion that became lodged in his throat. Protectively wrapped in tissue paper was a photo book, and on the front cover was a photo of the two of them in Bryant Park. It was a candid photo he'd taken a few months back - he was holding the phone out in front of them and grinning happily into the camera. What he loved most was that she wasn't looking at the camera, instead she had her hand on his chest as she laughed and smiled up at him, like he was her whole world. He could feel their happiness exuding from the page. When he read the Fitzgerald quote she'd included underneath, he felt his eyes start to mist up: _'I fell in love with you the first time I saw you.'_

Opening the cover he found another Fitzgerald quote: _'You've a place in my heart no one else ever could have,'_ followed by _'…to mark the first of hopefully many years together. I love you. Liza X'._ His throat was too tight to formulate any words as he looked up and caught her eye.

"I wanted to give you something to remember our first year together, and this is some of the things we've done and places we've been" Liza explained shyly.

"I could never forget the past year with you" Charles replied hoarsely, "But this…I love this."

Liza beamed, happy at his reaction. With every page he turned his smile just got wider as memories washed over him. She'd taken photos of places that were significant to them - there was a night-time photo of the New York Public Library where they'd met for their first date, and one of the Seaglass Carousel, where he'd taken her for said first date. There were photos of Bryant Park, the outside of Maggie's apartment and the Empirical building. There were also many photos of the two of them together, some from dates they'd been on, and others from when they were just relaxing together at home. There were even some he'd never seen before and hadn't realised she'd taken - one in particular caught his eye in which they were lay in bed together: he was asleep with his arm protectively wrapped around her, whilst she smiled at the camera. Even in sleep he was drawn to her. What was common to all of them though was how happy they both looked.

"Do you like it?" Liza asked when they got the last page - a photo from last week showing the two of them, along with Nicole, Bianca and Caitlin, standing in front of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.

Charles didn't trust himself to speak, so instead he tenderly cupped her cheek with his hand and kissed her, trying to show her just how much it meant to him. "I love it. And I love you" he whispered. He coughed, attempting to clear the lump in his throat, "Well I think it's only fair that you get to open your present now."

He retrieved her gift from under the tree, just like she had done earlier for him, and handed it to her. She excitedly took it from him and he watched in nervous anticipation as she unwrapped it. Taking out the two tickets from the gift box, her eyes widened and the happy squeal that escaped her lips was everything he'd hoped for.

"We're going to Paris?!" The excitement in her eyes and in her voice was palpable and he laughed in happiness.

"We are – for New Year."

Liza threw herself into his arms and he fell back against the couch with the force. "Oh my God, we're seriously going to Paris?! I've always wanted to go there!"

Charles smiled warmly at her, loving that he was the reason for her being this happy. "I know you have. And yes, we're seriously going there."

Liza giggled happily and he wrapped his arms around her waist as she excitedly began listing all of the places she wanted them to visit. What she didn't know yet was that her main gift he was going to give her whilst they were there, and it was something he was hoping she would be wearing by the time they came back. All he needed to do was ask her a certain question first – one that he'd been wanting to ask her all year. He smiled – he had a feeling 2020 was going to get off to a very good start.


	11. A New Year to Remember

**AN:** I know I say it every time but once again, thank you so much for your amazing comments on the previous chapter – I love reading them and they really do make my day! :)

So this chapter is my version of the Season 6 finale, and what I would like to see happen. It was a lot of fun to write so I really hope you enjoy it :) If you Google 'Hôtel Plaza Athénée' you'll see hotel in Paris I'm talking about.

As always, I'd love to hear your comments so please drop me a review and let me know what you think :)

Happy New Year…2019 and 2020!

* * *

 **DECEMBER 29TH 2019**

LIZA

"He's totally gunna propose."

Liza paused in the midst of tossing things into her suitcase and gaped at Maggie, who had an amused expression on her face. "What?! Of course he's not!" Maggie had come around to have dinner with her and Charles, and to supposedly help her pack, as they were leaving for Paris tomorrow.

Maggie looked at her like she'd just told her she was giving up sex. "Sweetie, he's taking you to Paris – the most romantic city in the world – for New Year's, and he's head over heels in love with you. It's the perfect opportunity."

Liza considered this information, but just as quickly brushed it aside. "I think the wine's gone to your head! He's never mentioned anything about marriage before."

Maggie smirked, "Doesn't mean he hasn't thought about it."

Liza felt a tingle run down her spine at the thought. She was happier than she'd ever been, and she was pretty sure Charles felt the same, but he couldn't be thinking of proposing…could he?

* * *

CHARLES

Charles smiled as he turned from where he was preparing dinner, at the sound of someone coming into the kitchen. "How's the packing going?" he asked as Maggie flopped down on a stool at the breakfast bar opposite him.

"I need more wine" Maggie replied dramatically, holding up her empty wine glass in demonstration, "Liza's packing enough to last a month. I escaped when Caitlin rang."

Charles chuckled fondly and handed her another bottle of wine from the fridge. He paused and glanced at her nervously before continuing, "I actually wanted to speak to you about something…" He fumbled as he pulled out a little turquoise box from his jacket pocket and gently placed it on the table in front of her.

He watched Maggie's eyes widen as she opened the box and looked at what was inside. "Oh my God, you really are gunna propose! I was only teasing when I told Liza I thought you would."

Charles blanched at the thought that Liza already knew he was going to propose. He had it all planned and wanted it to be perfect. "You told her you thought I was going to propose?"

Maggie just waved him off, "Oh don't worry – she didn't believe me. She has no idea."

Charles let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. Maybe all wasn't lost after all. "I…I wanted to ask for your blessing" he began shyly, "Aside from Caitlin you're the closest person to Liza, and I know how important your opinion is to her…so it would mean a lot to me to have your blessing."

Maggie smiled at him, "I've never seen her as happy as she is with you – of course you have my blessing." She caught him off guard when she stood up and pulled him into an affectionate hug. "But if you hurt her, I'll hurt you."

Charles chuckled but then added seriously, "I'd deserve nothing less. But I give you my word that I'll do everything in my power to make sure she's never hurt." As they pulled back, a look of mutual affection and respect, that had developed over the last year, passed between them. He smiled as he asked tentatively, "Do you think she'll like the ring?"

Maggie picked the box up and examined the ring appreciatively. "You did good – she'll love it."

Charles beamed happily at the compliment. Maggie jumped and quickly shoved the box back towards him when she heard Liza coming down the stairs. He hastily stowed it back in his jacket pocket and they both turned and smiled awkwardly as Liza came into the kitchen.

Liza narrowed her eyes and regarded them curiously. He really hoped she hadn't seen the ring. "You two look guilty. What were you talking about?"

"Nothing!" Charles blurted.

Maggie feigned shock and placed her hand dramatically over her heart, "Us – guilty? You're getting paranoid in your old age - anyone would think you were in your 40s!"

Liza tried unsuccessfully to bite back a smile at Maggie's comment. "Hmmm" she replied, but thankfully didn't press them any further.

Charles shot Maggie a discreet smile, grateful for her distraction technique. His new ally winked at him in response and his heart rate began to return to normal after that close call.

* * *

 **DECEMBER 30TH 2019**

JFK airport, New York:

CHARLES

Charles couldn't help but smile affectionately at Liza as they waited in line to go through security - she was practically bouncing with excitement, and he loved that he was the reason for her happiness. Taking her hand in his he leaned down and murmured fondly, "Anyone would think you were excited."

Liza grinned up at him, "Oh, excited doesn't cover it! I can't believe were actually going to Paris!"

Her enthusiasm was contagious and he chuckled happily, "Believe it."

Charles covertly patted his jacket, for probably the 50th time since leaving the house, to reassure himself that the ring was indeed still there. He didn't want to check it and put it in the hold in case their luggage got lost, and he couldn't risk putting it in his hand luggage in case they searched his bag and Liza saw it. As they got towards the front of the queue though, Charles realised the flaw in his plan - the ring was metal and he was about to walk through a scanner. He cursed himself for being so stupid to not think of that sooner. In his defence, he had however been rather preoccupied with nerves over the actual proposal.

When they got to the front, Charles was called first, and after glancing behind him to make sure Liza was still in the queue, he quietly spoke to the security guard waiting to scan him, hoping he was amenable. "Hi, erm, I need a favour… I have an engagement ring in my pocket that I really don't want my girlfriend to see, at least not until I actually ask her the question. Could you possibly take me to one side to scan me, so she doesn't see what comes out of my pocket?"

The security guard was an older gentleman with a kindly face, and he glanced discretely around Charles at the queue, then smiled warmly at him. "The tall, pretty brunette behind you?"

Charles smiled back, "Yeah, that's her."

"I'll do you one better." The security guard picked up his radio and turned as he spoke quietly into it. Charles couldn't tell what he was saying but when he looked back at Liza he saw a female guard escorting her to one side with her hand luggage, and then beginning to pat her down. He must have looked a bit concerned when he looked back at his guard because the man grinned as he explained, "Don't worry, we do 'random' checks every so often on passengers." He looked very pleased with himself as he continued, "This way she's far enough away that there's no chance she'll see the ring."

Charles smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you", he told him sincerely.

"Happy New Year" the man wished him after he'd finished scanning him.

"And to you."

"I hope she says yes!"

Charles grinned, "Me too!"

Liza looked a little put out when she caught up with him, "Well that was embarrassing – she literally took everything out of my bag! I felt like they were expecting me to be some sort of drugs mule or something!"

Charles smirked and tried to bite back his amusement, "Don't worry - I'm sure it was just a random check."

* * *

Paris

LIZA

Climbing into a taxi outside Charles de Gaulle airport, Liza felt like it was Christmas all over again. Her cheeks were hurting from smiling so much at the sheer excitement of being here in this city that she'd always wanted to go to, and that she was here with Charles. Despite the winter chill, the sun was shining as they drove through the Parisian streets. Liza felt Charles link his fingers with hers as she stared wide-eyed out of the window, taking it all in. She turned and saw that he was watching her rather than the view, and he had that beautiful smile on his face that he reserved only for her. It never failed to melt her heart when he looked at her like that.

"I like seeing you like this" he murmured warmly.

Liza leaned in and kissed him tenderly, "Thank you for bringing me here – I already love it!"

Charles grinned, "I'm glad."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and the rest of their journey to the hotel was spent with him playing tour guide and describing various landmarks and points on interest along their way. She smiled when he pointed out that they were driving down 'Avenue de New York'.

"A little piece of home" he commented.

Liza squeezed his hand as she looked up at him, "I have my piece of home right here." And she meant every word.

Charles hadn't told her where they were staying so when just a few minutes later the taxi pulled up on Avenue Montaigne outside their hotel, Liza's jaw dropped as she took in their location. "You can see the Champs-Élysées from here!"

Charles smiled at her in a way that suggested he knew something she didn't. He took her hand as they walked into Hôtel Plaza Athénée and Liza saw that the inside was just as prestigious as the outside, with its luxurious, classy Parisian theme. She still hadn't picked her jaw up off the floor when Charles let them into their 'Deluxe Suite with Avenue View', as the receptionist had referred to it. After the bellboy had brought their luggage in, Charles gave her a tour of their suite. It was bigger than Maggie's entire apartment and definitely the nicest hotel room she'd ever been in. There was a huge lounge, complete with beautiful antique French furniture, and the bathroom was modern and airy and held an exquisite double tub. The bedroom was her favourite room though with its natural colour scheme, accentuated by deep red tones. The main feature was the enormous bed in the centre of the room that she was sure was even longer than Charles – they would definitely be making use of that!

The bedroom _was_ her favourite part of the suite…that was until Charles whispered in her ear "There's something I want to show you", covered her eyes with his hand and walked her carefully across the room. "Keep your eyes closed" he added as he opened the patio door and guided her out onto their private balcony. Standing behind her, she felt his warm breath on her cheek as he murmured, "Open your eyes."

She gasped when she did just that and took in the sight of the Eiffel Tower, standing tall in all of its glory, looking like it was within touching distance. "Oh my God! No way!" She looked disbelievingly between him and the tower. "How did you get a view like that at this time of year?!"

Charles grinned, happy with her reaction. "It took some doing."

Liza wrapped her arms around his neck and held him to her, "You're amazing!" She kissed him and then spun around and pulled her phone out. "I have to take a picture of this view and send it to everyone!"

Charles chuckled in amusement. "There's still a part of you that's 27 huh?" he teased.

Liza giggled happily and then leaned into him, "Being 27 was fun, but I much prefer being 41…because it means I get to do this…" She took his hand and lead him back into the bedroom, closing the doors behind them and leading him over the bed. When she looked up at him, the green of his eyes had darkened with lust as he caught onto her train of thought. She stepped into him so she could feel the heat of his body pressed against hers, and their lips were mere millimetres apart as she whispered huskily, "No one has ever done anything like this for me before. I'm going to show you just how grateful I am." She heard his groan of desire just before she fused her lips with his in a passionate embrace that ignited a fire deep in her belly. Liza gently pushed him down onto the bed and then slowly removed each item of clothing she had on, making sure she never broke eye contact with him. It was incredibly sensual and reminded her of their first time when she'd been so overcome with emotion and desire she thought she'd combust before he even touched her. She smiled in satisfaction seeing him try and maintain control as he watched her increasing levels of undress. She wanted to make this all about him so when she'd finished removing her clothes, she started work on his, before proceeding to show him how very, very appreciative she was.

* * *

They'd made love into the early evening and as she lay with her head on his chest, his arm protectively around her shoulder, gloriously spent and sated, and with the Eiffel Tower in the background, she thought back to her conversation with Maggie before they'd left. This hotel was beyond beautiful and romantic, and the monument most synonymous with romance in the whole world was right outside their window. She looked up at him, with his eyes closed, his hair adorably mussed from their activities and a serene smile on his face…could he be planning to propose? Was Maggie right? Thinking about it in that moment she was surprised that the idea didn't scare her. It could be that she was high on the Paris air, or the sex, but she knew it was more than that. The thought of Charles asking her to marry him sent a rush of warmth and excitement coursing through her veins, and she realised that she wanted him to ask. She wanted to be his wife.

Charles stirred, and she blushed as if he had read her thoughts. "Hey" he murmured softly, his voice a little gravely as he came back into full consciousness. He kissed the top of her head and pulled her tighter against him. It was a habit of his she'd noticed when they started sharing a bed and she loved it. "How long was I asleep for?"

"Not long" she assured him, running her hand up and down his chest. "Maybe a half hour. I figured you needed to recharge after all that exercise" she teased.

Charles chuckled and tickled her as he shifted her underneath him and hovered over her. She was giggling uncontrollably at the feeling. He relented and had a mischievous glint in his eyes as he leaned down and replied huskily, "I'm fully recharged, don't worry." The feel of him poking her hip provided conclusive evidence of that. "How about we go and get some dinner and then I can show you just how recharged I am?"

Liza wrapped her arms around his neck and held him to her, "That sounds like a plan."

It turns out they didn't need to wait until after dinner – showering together proved both more environmentally friendly and also the ideal opportunity for Charles to prove his renewed energy levels. Liza had the pleasure of discovering, not that she was surprised, that he was 100% recharged.

When they eventually managed to extract themselves from each other long enough to actually shower and get ready, Liza chose a knee length navy chiffon cocktail dress and her favourite strappy heels. She wore her hair down in loose waves, added a light touch of makeup and completed her outfit with the silver charm bracelet Charles had given her on the day she moved in with him.

Charles smiled reverently at her as walked back into the bedroom and took in her appearance. "You look beautiful" he murmured softly, placing a tender kiss on her cheek.

Liza grinned at the compliment, "Thank you." She ran her eyes over his body, and as it always did, her mouth went dry. He'd also opted for navy, without any prior planning from either of them, and she smiled at their coordination. His outfit comprised of a fitted navy shirt, that accentuated his toned arms and muscular back, with grey suit pants, that were equally flattering. "So do you."

Charles beamed, seemingly equally happy with the compliment. "I have something for you" he replied, and when he pulled out a little box from his pocket, her heart literally stopped in her chest. Small fancy box…could it be…?

When he opened it she slapped herself for thinking it might be a ring, but smiled warmly when she saw what it actually was. "For your bracelet." He took her hand and clipped a beautiful silver Eiffel Tower charm onto her bracelet. "I told you we'd add to it, and this will remind you of our trip."

Liza gently fingered the delicate charm and then squeezed his hand, "I'm pretty sure I'll remember this trip."

Charles's eyes sparkled as he replied, "I hope so."

They had dinner at the hotel restaurant, which was as beautiful and ornate as the rest of the hotel. They had prime seats, right next to the window, which Charles must have pre-booked because they afforded them priceless views of the Avenue. The food was exquisite; she'd had the fish and he the steak, and by the time they'd shared a desert - a chocolate torte that literally melted in her mouth, she felt like she'd died and gone to food heaven. They'd talked and laughed for hours, and shared more than a little wine, basking in the simple pleasure they got from just 'being' together.

They rounded off the evening with a stroll along the Seine. The Christmas lights still illuminated the streets and their reflection glistened in the water, giving it a majestic quality. As they walked leisurely along the river, with his arm around her shoulder and hers around his waist, she understood why people said this was the most romantic city in the world. She loved it, and she loved the man she was listening reverently to as he told her stories of coming here with his parents as a boy. He told her how happy they were, and how he didn't understand it until he was older, but the way his father looked at his mother, like he couldn't believe how lucky he was, when they were stood in this very spot, was what truly being in love meant. "And that's how I feel about you" he told her.

It was a perfect night, and she couldn't wait to experience the rest of Paris with him.

* * *

 **NEW YEARS EVE 2019**

CHARLES

Charles was pretty sure he hadn't stopped smiling since the moment they arrived in Paris. He'd been here a few times before and he'd always loved this city, but it was seeing how much Liza loved it that was the reason for the permanent smile on his face. They had the most incredible day yesterday - Liza's reaction to the hotel, the view, the restaurant, and just seeing Paris for the first time was even more than he could have hoped for. The numerous times they'd made love were also pretty spectacular, as it always was. He planned on making sure this was the best trip she'd ever been on - he was going all out and he hoped that she enjoyed everything he'd got planned for her.

He couldn't remember the last time he did anything special for New Year's Eve, but this year he would be changing that. This year he was spending it with someone special, who deserved something special. They woke up a little later than expected, probably courtesy of the jetlag and confusion over what time it was. They'd showered together again (to save water of course), then wrapped up and headed out into the crisp Parisian morning. After grabbing some croissants and coffees from a little bakery on the corner, they'd ticked off some of the things on Liza's list of places she wanted to see. They took selfies by the Arc de Triomphe and he asked an old couple to take a photo of them outside the Sacré-Cœur, their arms wrapped around each other and their smiles as wide as the monuments themselves. He'd deflected her suggestion to visit the Eiffel Tower - he had plans for that later.

He'd taken her to a quaint little French restaurant, right on the river, for lunch. Whilst they waited for their food, they smiled as they scrolled through the photos from earlier in the day – the happiness captured in them was palpable and they would definitely be getting printed and displayed at home. They flirted over the entrées and played footsie during the mains, so by the time they got to dessert they were both feeling a little hot under the collar. He'd excused himself and spoken to the waiter to request a specific dessert. When the waiter had brought over her dessert, covered by a silver cloche, Liza's eyes had lit up with excitement. But when she'd lifted the cloche to reveal a white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake, he was sure he saw a flicker of disappointment cross her face. He was confused because he knew it was her favourite, but no sooner had he seen it, it was replaced with a smile and he brushed it off thinking he must have imagined it. Their easy banter returned and he thought nothing more of it.

After lunch they'd visited a small art gallery that had caught Liza's eye as they walked past. She'd fallen in love with one of the paintings as soon as she'd seen it – it was a silhouette of a couple standing on one of the bridges over the Seine, looking out over the cityscape, with the moonlight reflecting off the water. She'd said it reminded her of their first night there and the story he told her about his parents. He'd smiled at her explanation and swiftly informed the salesgirl that they'd take it, and arranged for it to be shipped back to New York.

"So what are we doing this evening?" she asked as they walked back to their hotel.

He smiled, "It's a surprise."

She looked at him amused, "Well how do I know what to wear?"

"You'll look beautiful whatever you wear" he assured her, "But if you want some suggestions, wear a dress…oh and you'll need a coat."

"Okaaay…" she replied, looking excited but also confused.

Charles chuckled, "Don't worry – I think you'll like it."

* * *

LIZA

Liza was still on a high from their day taking in Paris as she stood in front of the mirror and put in her earrings. Taking Charles's suggestion, she'd dressed in a floor-length lavender maxi dress with fringe detailing. She'd tried numerous times to persuade him to divulge their evening plans, even resorting to seduction to get it out of him, but he was resolute - insisting that he wanted to surprise her. She had to admit though, she did enjoy the intrigue, and the fact that he was going to so much effort sent a rush of excitement down her spine. Was he planning to propose tonight? At lunch earlier when the waiter had brought out her cloche covered dessert, her heart had been in her mouth thinking that this was it – there was going to be a ring underneath and he was really going to propose. She'd had to hide her disappointment that there was actually a dessert there instead, although the cheesecake had been amazing. But would it be tonight?

Charles strolled into the bedroom, fastening his cufflinks and looking like James Bond in his black tuxedo and bow tie, brought out by his crisp white shirt. He looked just like he did when she'd babysat for him for the first time, and if the effect he'd had on her then had been electric, it was intensified 1000-fold now.

"Are you ready to go?" he murmured, offering her his arm, his voice rolling over her like molten silk.

She linked her arm with his and smiled, "Lead the way."

As they stepped onto the elevator, Charles leaned down and whispered in her ear, "You look beautiful by the way."

She had a feeling tonight would be a good night.

* * *

When they arrived at their destination and Liza finally found out what their plans were, she was glad she'd been in the dark about it until now, because this was an awesome surprise. Charles held her hand as she stepped onto a beautifully decked out boat, with candlelit tables and floor-to-ceiling windows, affording them an amazing view of the starlit sky. She couldn't stop smiling as the waiter led them over to their table. Charles gave her a shy look as he sat down opposite her. She reached over and squeezed his hand. "Thank you" she told him sincerely, "I love it."

Charles beamed, and he looked so young and carefree. "It was worth waiting for then?"

"Definitely - I'm impressed." She smiled at him with a mischievous glint in her eye, before running her foot ever so lightly up his calf, underneath the table, "And I'm also impressed you didn't give in and tell me…especially after I did that thing you like…"

Charles blushed an adorable shade of red and shifted uncomfortably in his seat as the waiter came over and asked them what they'd like to drink. Liza bit her lip in amusement as she pretended to peruse the wine list.

Their food once again was divine - the French definitely knew how to do food. They would definitely have to find a good French restaurant when they got back to New York. The gentle sway of the boat and the view of the Paris skyline slowly drifting by just added to the magic of the night. As she laughed at his story about the first time he'd taken Nicole on a boat, and how she'd spent the whole time leaning over the side throwing up, Liza marvelled about how even though they lived together and they'd spent the last 48 hours together just the two of them, they never ran out of things to talk about. She'd never had that with any other man, but then she'd known Charles was different from the moment they met.

A string quartet came over to their table and brought them out of their little bubble. Charles stood up and spoke quietly into one of the men's ears, who then said something in French to the others as Charles sat back down. He was watching her with a small smile on his face and she grinned widely at him as they began to play. She knew the song straight away. It was impossible not to - that song held a lot of memory for them.

"Berlin" she said softly as the first strains of 'Take my breath away' floated through the air.

He literally took her breath away when he stood up again, thinking that he was about to drop down on one knee. She mentally slapped herself for expecting him to propose every five minutes - she blamed the wine, and the ridiculously romantic boat.

"Dance with me?" he asked tenderly, holding his hand out to her. She smiled as she took his hand and stepped into his embrace. "Last time I danced with you to this song I was so nervous" he murmured softly as they swayed to the music, "I wanted to be with you so badly, but I never thought you'd feel the same way about me. But then when you kissed me…"

"I wanted to be with you too - even before then" she murmured.

He smiled warmly, "I'm so glad we've got the chance to do this again, because this time I can tell you that I love you, rather than just feel it. And this time I can be the one to kiss you." And then he did.

They danced together long after the quartet had moved on to other tables, happy and content and just enjoying the simple pleasure of being in each other's arms. They only stopped when the boat docked and she looked confusedly down at Charles's watch. It was only 9:45 PM. "Are we not seeing a New Year here?"

"No." Charles smiled, and his eyes sparkled with excitement, "I thought you might like to ring in the New Year from a better vantage point."

He hailed a cab but gave no more clues as they drove through the Paris streets. It wasn't until they drove past their hotel that she got an inkling of where they might be going. When the cab came to a stop, she looked over at Charles, who grinned at her before coming round to open her door and help her out.

"Seriously?" She giggled happily as she took his hand and looked up at the spectacle in front of them - the epitome of Paris, lighting up the night sky. "We're really seeing in the New Year at the top of the Eiffel Tower?!"

Charles grinned happily, "Seriously."

Liza felt like a teenager again, never mind 26, she was that giddy with excitement. He laughed as she tugged him towards the entrance. "I've always wanted to visit the Eiffel Tower!"

"I know" he told her, "That's why I saved it 'til last."

She stopped and kissed him tenderly. There were no words to adequately express how much this meant to her, so she did her best to show him instead.

They opted to take the elevator up the tower, as opposed to the stairs. Charles humorously pointed out that her heels were not ideal for climbing 1710 steps. She teased him back that if she'd known where they were going, she could have dressed more appropriately. He pointed out that she looked perfect, just as she was. She had no comeback for that.

They took the elevator up to the first, and then the second platform, and she had been bouncing with excitement as they took in the ever expanding view over Paris. She'd giggled as he pulled her into his arms and took a selfie of them as he kissed her, the sparkling lights of the city below providing their background. An adorable couple who looked to be in their 80s, but still so obviously in love, had offered to take their photo for them up on the second platform. Their smiles were wide, and they laughed happily as the man tried to figure out Charles's iPhone. Liza later found out that they'd been married for 65 years. When she asked the lady how she knew her husband was the one, her response was simple: 'I just knew'. Their secret: they say 'I love you' every night, even if they're mad with each other. Liza smiled - she and Charles did that too.

It was 11:30 PM when they reached the top platform and Charles had covered her eyes as they stepped out of the elevator. "This is the view I wanted you to have to see in the New Year" he murmured softly as he guided her out onto the deck.

She gasped as she placed her hands on the railing and looked out over the city. They were almost 900 feet high and she was pretty sure she could see the whole of Paris from here. It was even more spectacular than she'd imagined. "Wow!" she breathed, leaning her head back to rest on Charles's shoulder. She frowned when her head was only met with air. Turning around, all the air left her lungs in a whoosh as she discovered why - Charles was no longer standing, but instead bent down on one knee. She stared at him wide-eyed - he was really going to do it, he was going to propose.

Before she knew what was happening though, he stood back up. She blinked rapidly, confused and bewildered as to what was going on. She hadn't been proposed to in a while, but she was pretty sure the guy was supposed ask the question before standing back up. Glancing down she laughed in embarrassed amusement as realisation dawned on her. He hadn't been about to propose - he was tying his shoe.

"What's funny?" Charles asked.

Liza blushed, "Nothing."

Charles gave her a curious look and smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, placing a tender kiss on the top of her head. She leaned into him, feeling his warmth seep into her. "It's almost time" he whispered, holding up his watch for her to see. "This year has been one of the best years of my life."

Liza smiled, "Mine too."

"We've got many more to come."

' _5, 4, 3, 2, 1!'_ The last few seconds of 2019 ticked away, and fireworks lit up the sky as the New Year was welcomed in. "Happy New Year Liza" Charles murmured softly.

Liza tilted her head up to meet his smiling face, his eyes sparkling with love for her. "Happy New Year Charles" she replied.

As they kissed, Liza revelled in the moment, and every moment they'd shared before that had led them to where they were now. He didn't propose, and perhaps he was never going to, but that was okay because she could honestly say that she was truly happy. She had everything she wanted: she was with the love of her life, and she didn't need to get married prove that. Would she marry him though if he asked her?...in a heartbeat.

* * *

 **NEW YEAR'S DAY 2020**

LIZA

Even though Charles hadn't proposed, and yes she was a little disappointed that he hadn't, she'd had the most amazing time in Paris with him. Everything he'd done for her since they'd got here to make sure she was happy and had everything she wanted, and how attentive he'd been, left her with absolutely no doubt about how much he loved her. He was the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with, with or without a ring.

The sun was out when they woke up, and it was mild for a winter morning, so Charles had suggested they go for a walk. They were walking hand-in-hand along the Seine, but in a different direction to where they'd walked on their first night. It was beautiful, and Liza would never get enough of this view. She wasn't sure how long they'd been walking for but Charles must have picked up on her wandering thoughts because he squeezed her hand and smiled down at her.

"You look like you have things on your mind."

Liza blushed, "It's nothing. It's silly, really - ignore me."

Charles stopped and cupped her cheek, before imploring her softly, "If there's something on your mind it's not silly. Tell me."

Liza sighed and encouraged him to keep walking. She looked straight ahead, too embarrassed to look him in the face, and before she could engage the filter between her brain and her mouth, it all started spilling out. "It's just something Maggie said to me before we left, and I didn't think anything of it then…but now that we're here and everything is so romantic, and you've been so romantic…" She let go of his hand and gestured around them, but she still couldn't look at him. Her brain was telling her to 'stop talking - stop talking now!', but her mouth was on a roll. "I mean, I don't need you to ask me…but being here kinda made me realise that I want you to ask me!" Glancing up at Charles she saw a small smile tugging at his lips. She was pretty sure her face had turned beet red with embarrassment. "…And oh my God I can't believe I'm saying all this out loud! Can we please just erase this whole conversation and pretended it didn't happen?!" She covered her face with her hands, beyond horrified and embarrassed by her verbal diarrhoea.

When Charles didn't answer, she peaked cautiously between her fingers, but was confused when she didn't see him. Removing her hands, she discovered the reason why. Her breath caught in her throat and her jaw dropped. She could hear her heart beating in her chest at the sight she was met with. Charles was down on one knee again, looking nervously up at her – but this time he was holding a little turquoise Tiffany box in his hand. Of course he'd bought a ring from Tiffany & Co – New York was where they'd met and fell in love, and this was a little piece of New York, of home, that he'd brought with him – for her. Inside the box was the most beautifully exquisite diamond ring she had ever seen, sparkling brightly in the Paris sunshine. A perfectly clear cushion cut solitaire diamond took pride of place in the centre of what was either a white gold or platinum band (she couldn't quite tell), accentuated by pavé set diamonds down the sides. She couldn't have picked something more beautiful if she'd chosen it herself – he knew her so well. She was too stunned to blink, let alone formulate any form of words as she stared between the ring and Charles.

Charles stuttered as he began nervously speaking, "I'm hoping this is the question you wanted me to ask." He smiled that smile of his, and she felt tears blurring her eyes. "I've been wanting to ask you this question pretty much since the night I turned up on your doorstep last Christmas, and this ring has been burning a hole in my dresser for months. There've been so many times I wanted to ask you, but you deserve special, and I know you've always wanted to come to Paris. I always planned to ask you here - I thought it would be symbolic. I could have asked you at the top of the Eiffel Tower, or when we were on the boat on the Seine, but I thought this was more us."

Liza looked up and the tears that had been blurring her eyes, began freely rolling down her cheeks. She'd been so distracted she hadn't realised they were stood in front of the Bibliothèque Mazarine - the oldest library in Paris. She'd thought it wasn't possible to love him anymore than she already did - she was wrong.

"It was outside of another library, thousands of miles away back in New York, that we met for our first date, and I asked you then if we could stay in our bubble for that night. Well, in front of this library I want to ask you a more important question..."

"Yes!" Liza blurted out, overcome with emotion and desperate for him to know that she wanted this too. His eyes widened in surprise at her exuberance and she blushed. "I'm sorry - I know you haven't actually asked a question yet, but if it's the one I think it is, then yes! Yes, yes, yes!"

Charles smiled, wider than she'd ever seen him smile before, and she watched as his eyes got misty too. "Really?" he asked tentatively, hope evident in his voice.

"Yes!" she repeated, laughing happily.

"You know, I had this whole speech planned about how you're the love of my life, and how ever since I met you, you've made my world brighter just by being in it..."

"Actually, on second thoughts, I want you to ask the question" Liza interjected, her heart melting at his words and wanting to hear everything he'd wanted to say.

Charles laughed happily, before taking her hand in his and looking at her in a way that said he couldn't believe how lucky he was. "Liza Miller, I never thought it was possible to love anyone the way that I love you. You make me so unbelievably happy, and if you let me, I will spend every day for the rest of my life trying to make you as happy as you make me. Will you marry me?"

"Of course I will!" She choked out, her voice catching on the words. She dropped to her knees and threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly.

Both of them were crying, overwhelmed with happiness, as he kissed her sweetly, whispering 'I love you's between them in between breaths. Neither of them cared that they were still kneeling on a cold sidewalk, or that a crowd had gathered, watching them with smiles on their faces. The world around them had disappeared, and all that there was was the two of them, in this moment – a moment that they would remember forever.

With trembling fingers, Charles took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her finger. It was a perfect fit - just like they were. She smiled through the tears as she caught sight of 'LM & CB 01.01.20' engraved inside the band. "Do you like the ring?" he asked shyly, "…we can change it if you don't-"

Liza cupped his cheek with her hand and cut him off. How could she not like it – it was perfect?! Whatever ring he'd chosen she would have loved it, because of the meaning it would hold and because he had chosen it for her. "I LOVE it" she emphasised, "And I love you." She held her hand out in front of her, smiling as she admired the way the sunlight reflected off the diamonds.

Charles followed her gaze and mirrored her smile. "You're going to be my wife" he murmured, awe and wonder causing his voice to hitch.

She beamed at him. "And you're going to be my husband."

"I like the sound of that."

"I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you" she sighed happily, tears of joy forming in her eyes again with the overload of emotion.

He gently took her face in his hands before kissing her tenderly. "Our forever starts now."


End file.
